Wisconsin Governor Race: Leading Democrat has confirmed mental problems

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A 2023 interview in which Wisconsin State Rep. Francesca Hong openly discussed a mental health crisis from her late teens has drawn renewed attention as she campaigns for the Democratic nomination for governor.

In the Meal Magazine profile titled “Soup Lefty,” Hong described events from around age 18. “At 18, I had a mental breakdown. I didn’t actually walk at my high school graduation because I had been hospitalized for a week at a child psychiatric hospital,” she said. She recounted feelings of numbness and pain, adding, “I couldn’t feel anymore, and that scared the hell out of me. And I found myself self-harming to feel something.”

When asked if she had been cutting, Hong replied: “It was cutting. I was diagnosed with bipolar disease. I was taking SSRIs and I’d overdosed on lithium.” She linked some of the isolation she felt to her experiences as the daughter of Korean immigrants and said restaurant work later helped her feel a sense of belonging.

Few children of Korean immigrants suffer mental health issues.

Hong, born in 1988 in Madison, has represented the 76th Assembly District since 2021. A former chef and restaurant owner, she is a member of the far-left Democratic Socialists of America and launched her gubernatorial campaign in September 2025 after Gov. Tony Evers announced he would not seek a third term. She is considered the front-runner among several Democrats competing in the August 2026 primary.

The interview comments, first published three years earlier, circulated widely online in early August 2026 after being highlighted by independent researchers and conservative outlets. Wikipedia’s entry on Hong notes that she has said she experienced a mental health crisis at age 18, was hospitalized for a week, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, citing the same source.

Public records and reporting contain no detailed information about Hong’s current mental health treatment or status. In the original interview she framed the experiences as part of her personal history rather than a barrier to her later work in kitchens and politics.

Supporters of greater transparency have argued that voters considering a candidate for statewide executive office deserve to know relevant personal health history when the candidate herself has previously discussed it. Others have emphasized that bipolar disorder is a treatable condition and that past struggles should not automatically disqualify someone from public service.

If, however, a leading Republican candidate had a similar history, the Democrats would certainly make it an issue.

Hong has continued campaigning on issues including education funding, child care, and worker supports while the primary approaches. The resurfaced statements add a layer of personal history to the public record of a race already focused on contrasts between establishment Democrats and more progressive challengers.

The primary source remains Hong’s own words from the 2023 Meal Magazine interview.

Far-left Democrats seem to believe that defrauding social programs is fair game and a weapon to take down a corrupt free-market system.

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Sources/related links:

Full 2023 Meal Magazine interview

The Post Millennial report (Aug. 1, 2026)

Francesca Hong Wikipedia page

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