Wisconsin's Democratic Socialist bets on unity amid past tweets

Wisconsin state Assembly member Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, leads the gubernatorial primary and faces swing-state challenges as she pursues a broad coalition to win in November. She acknowledges scrutiny of old social media posts (some she says were jokes) and has walked back or contextualized positions like police abolition, while campaigning on tangible progressive reforms (free child care, well-funded schools, taxing the rich) to win moderates and independents. She has endorsements from some national progressives but not Sanders or Omar, who say they’re focusing on federal races. Her path to defeating the Trump-backed GOP candidate may hinge on uniting a diverse electorate beyond the party’s left flank.