Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) said Wednesday that Republicans are eager to wield the “socialist” label as a political weapon against Democrats, but argued that progressive candidate Francesca Hong’s strong primary showing came from her focus on the issues voters actually care about.
Appearing on CNN’s “This Morning,” Moore, who backed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley in Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, acknowledged that the party is “terrified of how Republicans define us.” She noted that Hong, a state representative who ran a competitive progressive campaign in the primary, explicitly embraced the democratic socialist label — a term Republicans are likely to seize upon in the general election.
“The Republicans sort of want to use that jargon as a cudgel to prevent Democratic voters from supporting, in the general election, that candidate,” Moore said.
But Moore rejected the idea that Hong’s self-identification was a liability, instead praising her campaign’s substance. “Francesca Hong ran an absolutely splendid campaign. And she did focus on things that are on people’s minds, which is why she received so many votes,” Moore said.
Moore pointed to affordability and healthcare as the two issues that anchored Hong’s appeal, suggesting that voters responded to a message rooted in everyday economic concerns rather than ideological labels.
Moore Defends Her Own Progressive Credentials
The interview came after Moore herself defeated a progressive challenger in her own primary, and host Audie Cornish pressed her on whether that result signaled a warning for the party’s left flank.
Moore pushed back on the framing, asserting, “I’m a progressive as well. And David Crowley is a progressive as well.” She suggested that the party’s internal divisions are less about ideology than about how Republicans will use terms like “socialist” to define Democratic candidates in the fall.
Her comments highlight a broader tension within the Democratic Party as it heads into the general election: how to navigate the energy and policy focus of progressive campaigns while fending off Republican attacks that seek to paint the entire party as far-left.
Moore’s praise for Hong’s campaign suggests that even when progressives come up short in primaries, their ability to center kitchen-table issues can reshape the conversation — and that Democratic leaders are wary of letting Republicans control the narrative.
“Francesca Hong ran an absolutely splendid campaign,” Moore reiterated, underscoring that the discussion should be about the issues that motivated voters, not the labels opponents use to dismiss them.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/08/12/dem-rep-moore-gop-wants-to-use-socialism-against-us-hong-ran-splendid-campaign-on-issues-people-care-about/