Prominent Caifornia liberal Congressman Ro Khanna has endorsed Francesca Hong’s gubernatorial bid just four years after he endorsed Mandela Barnes’ failed bid for Senate.
In what could be seen as progressive backstabbing, exposing infighting among Wisconsin Democrats trying to prove their progressive bona fides, California Congressman Ro Khanna has endorsed far-left Wisconsin State Rep. Francesca Hong for governor. This comes just years after he boosted Mandela Barnes in his failed 2022 Senate bid. Hong, a self-described democratic socialist and single-mom restaurant worker, trumpeted the endorsement on X, calling Khanna “one of the boldest progressive voices in Congress fighting for affordable childcare, universal healthcare, and working families.”
Khanna, the former co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign and member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, gushed in his statement: “Francesca Hong is running on the platform that voters have been clamoring for for years: investment in our communities rather than endless war, universal childcare, paid leave, funded schools, and affordable healthcare. She understands that the path forward for Democrats is committing to permanent affordability for working families.
For Mandela Barnes—a former lieutenant governor who narrowly lost to Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022 after Khanna and other national progressives like AOC lined up behind him—this must feel like a political knife in the back. Khanna helped elevate Barnes in that high-profile Senate race. Now that Barnes is running in the crowded 2026 Democratic gubernatorial primary, Khanna has ditched him for Hong, the socialist currently perceived as the frontrunner in a field full of undecided voters.
This snub couldn’t come at a worse time for Barnes. Early polls show a tight race with many undecideds. Hong stands at 11% and Barnes at 10% in one recent survey. National progressives like Khanna could consolidate left-wing donors, activists, and media buzz behind the more radical Hong. Wisconsin Democrats are already fractured. This endorsement signals that even the Bernie wing views Barnes as yesterday’s news. While Barnes talks up “getting things done the Wisconsin way,” Hong’s socialist bona fides, including membership in the Assembly Socialist Caucus and endorsements from groups like Wisconsin Electoral Socialists, represent the exact brand of big-government high-tax-and-spend progressive extremism that turned off voters in 2022 and could doom Democrats again in this battleground state.
Khanna’s endorsement hands Francesca Hong a progressive seal of approval but does little to hide the Democratic Party’s deepening rifts. This primary is a mess of socialists, faux moderates, and also-rans fighting over scraps. By skipping Barnes—the guy he once propped up—Khanna has effectively told Wisconsin Democrats that electability takes a back seat to the new shiny socialist darling.
This is just as big a win for Wisconsin Republicans as it is for Hong. While Democrats turn their attacks on each other, the GOP can point to Hong bringing California-style socialism and overspending to the state. GOP candidates can focus on what matters to Wisconsin voters: lower taxes, safe streets, better schools, and keeping radical experiments out of Wisconsin.
