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GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., is warning voters that a potential general-election matchup with socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong could determine whether socialism gains a foothold in Wisconsin as Tuesday’s primary approaches.
Tiffany, speaking to Fox News Digital alongside former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, said the election could determine whether Wisconsin becomes a “firewall” against the spread of socialism as far-left candidates continue to beat out moderate Democrats throughout the country in primary elections.
“Is the heartland going to be the firewall that stops this movement of socialism coming from, especially the East Coast?” Tiffany said. “And I think Wisconsin will be. We’ll be the place that stops socialism.”
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Hong, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), backs progressive policies such as calling for the defunding of the police, abolishing prisons, creating public banks and grocery stores, universal childcare and a $20 minimum wage.
Her “TAX THE RICH” plan proposes raising state income taxes by 1% for couples making over $431,000 and individuals making over $323,000.
“I think what Francesca Hong stands for is the antithesis of America,” Youngkin said. “She wants to defund police, close prisons. She wants to get rid of the military. She wants to get rid of the presidency. I mean, these are all the things that the DSA stands for and she is a card-carrying member.”
“I just know my friends and neighbors, including some who are Democrats, they are not crazy,” Tiffany said. “They do not believe in some of these crazy policies, abolish prisons, abolish police, highest tax rates that you could possibly have. I mean they do not accept that.”
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Past social media posts from Hong have drawn scrutiny, including a 2021 post stating that police “exist to uphold white supremacy” and posts calling to abolish the U.S. Senate and criticizing Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day.
She has since walked back some of her comments, although she recently refused to give a direct answer asking for her current stance on defunding the police, but acknowledging her inability to do so as governor.
“[They are] going to do everything they can to walk them back, but people see through this,” Tiffany said. “Those flip-flops, people know about that already and they’re going to know about it as we go through the final, you know, couple months of the campaign. They see through that type of stuff when you are not genuine.”
When asked to respond to Tiffany’s criticism by Fox News Digital, Hong characterized her past posts as some “bad takes.”
“You have some hot takes, sometimes bad takes on Twitter,” Hong said about the posts. “And I let my feelings out into the world.”
Republicans, like Tiffany and Youngkin, have sought to portray Hong’s progressive record as a liability for the battleground state.
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“This is a moment for the heartland of America to stand up for America,” Youngkin said of the race.
Tiffany, a Trump-endorsed member of the House Freedom Caucus and a former dairy farmer, spoke to Fox News Digital about the race as he and Youngkin held last-minute campaign events on home ownership and school choice leading up to Tuesday’s primary.
Hong has argued that Democratic voters are fed up with the party establishment, claiming her candidacy appeals to a variety of both Democrats and Republicans, who disagree with President Donald Trump and his aligned candidates.
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Tiffany and Hong enter Tuesday as the frontrunners in their respective primaries, with Tiffany running against medical service technician Andrew Manske, and Hong facing off against three other Democratic candidates — Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, former Wisconsin Department of Administration secretary Joel Brennan and democratic state Sen. Kelda Roys.
“[Tiffany] is what’s gonna be on the ballot against someone who literally wants to deconstruct America,” Youngkin said.
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“This is what this election eventually is gonna be about — common sense against crazy.”