Leading Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial nominee Francesca Hong refuses to answer for her antisemitism.

Wisconsin-based organizations from the Jewish community have released the following statement:

We condemn the candidacy of Francesca Hong, Democratic candidate for Wisconsin Governor, due to the following occurrences:

1) On the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attacks against the Jewish community by Hamas (on October 8, 2025), Francesca Hong led a discussion on how to "stop the Israeli genocide in Palestine" by promoting her "Right to Boycott Israel" bill. Her keynote speech was sponsored by the Madison-Rafah Project and the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights. In the speech, she accused Israel -- the only democratic government in the Middle East -- of working to eliminate the Palestinian population in a coordinated and purposeful genocide while advocating to further isolate Jews and Israelis via supporting the international boycott Israel ("BDS") movement.

2) Hong has appeared on internet live streams with anti-semitic political commentators Hasan Piker and Michael Beyer ("Mike from PA"). Hasan Piker has described Orthodox Jews as "inbred", referred to Zionists as "pigs", said the United States "deserved 9/11", and has repeatedly and explicitly supported terrorist organizations Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Hamas and Hezbollah on numerous occasions. In 2024, Beyer questioned the legitimacy of Jewish identity as an ethnicity, referring to it as "wholly invented" and a "demonic ethnicity". Hasan Piker also co-led a rally with Hong on August 2, 2026 in the city of Milwaukee.

3) Hong is a strong supporter of the boycott Israel movement (“BDS”) and refuses to acknowledge facts related to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Her support of the Democratic Socialists of America platform includes the false characterization of Israel as a “settler-colonial, apartheid” state and asserts full solidarity with the Palestinian cause. This includes calling for “the end of Israel’s colonization and occupation of all Arab lands” and the “right of all refugees to return" -- a demand that would effectively eliminate Israel’s identity as a Jewish state.

4) Hong is a supporter the Democratic Socialists of America platform plank labeling Israel's defensive war in Gaza as a "genocide". She frames Israel not only as a human-rights violator but also as an extension of broader U.S. military and geopolitical power, portraying its existence and defense as part of an “imperial system” that advances American strategic interests in the region.

The Jewish community in Wisconsin stands firmly with our friend and ally, the state of Israel, and supports the Abraham Accords, which has led to normalization agreements between Israel and nations like the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. These partnerships have helped reshape the Middle Eastern by increasing regional security cooperation, increasing trade and formal diplomatic normalization.

Antisemitism in Wisconsin has skyrocketed over the past decade, with 174 documented cases in 2025 —including Holocaust distortion, online harassment targeting members of the Jewish community and anti-Israel rhetoric intended to disrupt daily Jewish life. As a deterrent, we support the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism, passed by the Wisconsin legislature and signed into law by the governor earlier this year.

Francesca Hong needs to be held accountable regarding the above careless statements and actions.