At a backstage exchange after a debate, Politico's Jonathan Martin pressed Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong about earlier statements calling for abolishing the police. Hong defended her shift toward investing in "systems of care," education and victim services, arguing the criminal legal system "is not working" and citing high prison-staff suicide rates. Her recent remarks qualify a 2021 tweet that said "Defund then abolish," and come as DSA-aligned candidates have won several primaries amid sharp national criticism.
Politico Reporter Presses Francesca Hong Over Past Call To Abolish Police: "This System Is Not Working"
Francesca Hong is asked about defunding the police.
Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate and self-described democratic socialist Francesca Hong faced pointed questions from Politico reporter Jonathan Martin in a backstage exchange after a recent debate, following earlier comments in which she appeared to endorse abolishing the police. A clip of the interaction was posted to X by Semafor reporter David Weigel.
Martin asked Hong directly, "Why do you believe that the police must still exist?" Hong responded by arguing the current criminal legal system is failing and calling for a reallocation of resources to community supports:
"Because the reality of this moment and the types of public safety systems that we have, I want us to be sensible and realistic, but we know now the billions invested in the criminal legal system is not working. We are spending more on incarcerating an individual than on tuition for UW–Madison.
This is about making sure that local law enforcement is working with community, that we are taking resources from the state and investing in things like public education, victim services, out-of-school programs for our kids to go and have a great — like, be able to be themselves."
When Martin followed up, asking whether she still supported long-term abolition of the police, Hong reiterated her focus on public safety and systemic reform:
"I believe that we have to be serious about public safety, and I'm going to be a governor that is more serious than anyone else in making sure that we are building systems of care, that we are focusing on lowering crime, getting guns off our street, and making sure that folks who are incarcerated — which about 90% of those folks will be going back into the community — that we're lowering recidivism rate and it's appalling to me that for folks who are working within our prisons, they have some of the highest suicide of any job and occupation.
So this system is not working. If we want to be serious, we better be putting these billions into things we know prevent crime."
A member of Hong's team then escorted her away from the exchange. The comments appear to soften or qualify language Hong used in 2021, when she tweeted, "Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can't be an option." Last week she told a local radio show she "did not believe that police funding should go away."
Broader Political Context
Hong's remarks come as several candidates aligned with democratic socialism have won recent primaries. In New York, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, both members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), won their contests with backing from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, another DSA member. Some DSA positions — including calls to abolish ICE and sharp critiques of U.S. policy toward Israel — have prompted fierce criticism from political opponents.
Former President Donald Trump seized on those primary outcomes to attack socialists, at times calling them "communists" and warning they pose a grave threat to the country. Hong remains the front-runner in the Wisconsin Democratic primary, which is set for August 11.
Watch the clip of the exchange on X for the full backstage interaction.
Photo credit: @DaveWeigel on X
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