Democratic State Treasurer nominee Yee Leng Xiong is asking Wisconsin voters for a statewide office on November 3. His political career began with support from one of Madison’s most prominent socialists.
State Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, was one of Xiong’s loudest boosters when he ran for the 85th Assembly District. On April 7, 2024, she posted that Xiong was “running to flip the 85th” and encouraged followers to “join me in supporting Yee.”
Hong continued her support through the fall. On October 5, 2024, she posted that Xiong “embodies what it means to bring more than representation into positions of power” and described his race as part of “the fight for fifty seats.” Xiong fell short against Republican Rep. Patrick Snyder.
Hong’s record is no mystery. She has been a member of the Madison chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America since 2020, she told Fox News. In 2021, she wrote “Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish,” and “Abolish the Senate,” according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She later retracted those statements as her governor’s race became more competitive, but ultimately lost the August Democratic primary to David Crowley.
Xiong did not keep his distance during that primary. On October 27, 2025, he
posted on Facebook that he attended a meet-and-greet for Hong’s campaign “to hear ideas firsthand.” He described himself as “(painfully) neutral” in the race. Xiong’s previous support from Hong says more than him being painfully neutral.
The connection matters because of what Xiong wants the office to become. Under Republican Treasurer John Leiber, the office is the smallest of its kind in the country, WPR reported. Xiong wants more.
“It’s not the constitutional office powers that makes it an influential position,” Xiong
told Wisconsin Watch. “It’s what you do with that position that makes it influential.” He said Democratic control of the governor’s office and the Legislature could give him room to broaden what the treasurer is allowed to do.
Xiong has also turned his campaign into a legal weapon against the Trump administration. On October 9, he and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin
sued the White House, the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection in federal court in Washington over federal ad spending.
Xiong has a record of opposing federal deportation efforts. In March 2020, as a Weston village trustee, he co-sponsored a resolution opposing U.S. negotiations with Laos to deport Hmong and Lao nationals, including many with criminal convictions, WTAQ reported. “This is their home,” he said in a news release. This month he posted that he was “proud to join over 1200 people in Eau Claire for No Kings Day,” the anti-Trump protest series.
Leiber is running on results. He sits on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, which oversees the $1.6 billion Common School Fund. This year’s distribution to schools was a record $73.5 million, according to Ballotpedia.
“The Treasurer already has a job to do, and attempting to gain more power is counterproductive,” Leiber said.
The Republican Party of Wisconsin endorsed Leiber at its state convention. He is the only Republican holding a statewide constitutional office in Wisconsin, and if he wins, he would be the first treasurer re-elected in nearly 25 years, WJFW reported.
Hong, meanwhile, is still campaigning across the state. The Heartland Post has reported she is holding more public events than the man who beat her.
