In a personal and pointed essay published by The Federalist, the granddaughter of a Korean War veteran has taken aim at Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, arguing that Hong’s embrace of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and her radical platform betray the very freedoms American soldiers fought to secure.
The essay’s author, identified only as the granddaughter of a Wisconsin native who served in the Korean War, writes that Hong’s campaign “reveals her true hatred for American culture” and accuses the state assemblywoman of advocating for policies that would dismantle the constitutional system that allowed Hong’s own immigrant family to thrive.
Hong’s Platform Draws Fire
Hong, a Madison chef and small-business owner who was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2020, is now seeking the state’s highest office. The Federalist essay details a laundry list of positions that the author describes as “Marxist-adjacent,” including support for government-run grocery stores, abolition of ICE and the police, universal childcare, a “Worker’s Bill of Rights” that is anti-business, breaking up agricultural companies, and overturning Act 10 — Wisconsin’s landmark public-sector union law. Hong also advocates for transgender rights and has voiced support for the “Free Palestine” movement.
The essay’s author also points to Hong’s past remarks about her biracial son, noting that Hong said she struggled with having a half-white, half-Korean child because it placed her in “proximity to whiteness.” Hong has also been accused of helping incite aggressive protests against law enforcement, even after a knife-wielding assailant injured a police officer in her own city.
A Grandfather’s Sacrifice
The heart of the essay is a deeply personal remembrance of the author’s grandfather, who passed away from Alzheimer’s disease fourteen years ago. The author recalls how her mother played violin music to help him remember his youth in the 1930s, and how she shared oatmeal raisin cookies with him in the garden of his assisted living facility — even though he no longer knew who she was.
Sometimes, the author writes, the man who never spoke of the war would tearfully recount the horrors he witnessed: fellow soldiers shot or crushed by enemy tanks while he hid, unable to move or make a sound for fear of discovery. Despite the trauma, the author’s mother said he was proud to serve his country, helping to bring democracy to South Korea and contain Soviet-backed communist threats from the North.
After leaving the service, the grandfather ran a machine shop with his brother in Milwaukee, married, and raised three daughters. His army rucksack, stitched with his name, and two American flags hung proudly over his garage door — a symbol of his quiet patriotism.
DSA Affiliation and Radical Allies
The essay argues that Hong, by joining the DSA, has aligned herself with a group whose current platform includes abolishing the Senate, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court, as well as defunding the Pentagon, the nation’s “first line of national defense.” The DSA also supports mass amnesty and open borders, abolishing prisons, a wealth tax, and Medicare for All.
Hong, the author notes, counts among her ideological companions figures like Ilhan Omar, Omar Fateh, and Hasan Piker — the latter of whom famously proclaimed, “Let the streets soak in their f*cking red capitalist blood.” The essay contends that membership in the DSA implies support for the destruction of America’s constitutional government by default.
A Legacy Undermined
Francesca Hong’s parents immigrated from South Korea in the 1980s, three decades after the author’s grandfather fought there. Hong grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, where she lived out the American Dream — marrying, having a son, and opening a small business. In 2020, she won election to the State Assembly, an opportunity the essay’s author says was made possible by the sacrifices of over 1.78 million Korean War veterans.
“Why, then, did Hong decide this land of opportunity needs to be torn apart?” the author asks. “Why has she chosen to squander the gift of American excellence bestowed on her and her family by joining the Democratic Socialists of America?”
The essay concludes with a stark indictment: “Hong is not a public servant — she’s an authoritarian whose socialist political platforms are a direct betrayal of what my grandfather fought for in Korea.” The author expresses confidence that “the people of Wisconsin will see right through her.”
As of this writing, Hong’s campaign has not publicly responded to the essay’s claims. The Federalist piece is a commentary piece, not a news report, and its arguments are the author’s own.
Source: thefederalist.com — https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/11/francesca-hongs-dsa-spurns-what-my-korean-war-vet-grandfather-sacrificed-to-give-her/