Francesca Hong's Ultra-Close Defeat... America's Progressive Whirlwind

[Anchor]

Right now in the United States, Francesca Hong, a second-generation Korean American who ran for governor of Wisconsin, is drawing major attention. Although she narrowly lost in today's (the 12th) Democratic primary following an ultra-close race, her run is evaluated as symbolically demonstrating the progressive whirlwind blowing through American politics.

Correspondent Lee Hanseok reports from Washington.

[Reporter]

Francesca Hong is a chef in her 30s, a single mother, and the first Asian American member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in history.

Identifying as a "democratic socialist," one of the most progressive figures even within the Democratic Party, she entered the Democratic gubernatorial primary and gained sensational popularity with sharp progressive pledges such as universal free childcare and a minimum wage hike.

[Francesca Hong / Democratic Wisconsin Gubernatorial Primary Candidate: Voters are telling me that they want permanent relief from housing costs. They are also demanding that we tax the ultra-wealthy and drive corrupt figures out of politics.]

With progressive victories recently continuing in states like Michigan and Minnesota, whether Representative Hong would advance to the general election also emerged as a topic of intense interest across the United States.

President Trump targeted Hong with fierce attacks, calling her a communist, and the Democratic party establishment also showed wariness, citing concerns that she lacked competitiveness in the general election.

[Trump / U.S. President (on the 6th): You even have a woman in Wisconsin among the communists arguing that Thanksgiving should be abolished immediately.]

Following a tight battle, Hong lost to moderate candidate Crowley by a margin of 0.41 percentage points, or about 3,200 votes, but evaluations show she has once again confirmed the power of the progressive whirlwind within the U.S.

[Francesca Hong / Democratic Wisconsin Gubernatorial Primary Candidate: From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all so fiercely for fighting so hard.]

Analysts suggest that young people and the working class, exhausted by inequalities such as unemployment, high inflation, and housing instability, are enthusiastic about progressive candidates advocating democratic socialism.

The bold challenge by the second-generation Korean American politician, which shook a key swing state, ended as a work in progress, but the progressive fever in American politics is expected to continue.

(Video Shooting: Park Eun-ha / Video Editing: Oh Young-taek)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.