A Democratic Assembly candidate from Madison on Wednesday defended her use of a vulgarity to describe Wisconsin Tavern League lobbyists after the group sued to block Gov. Tony Evers’ order limiting some indoor gatherings.
The episode was the latest example of politicians on the left and right coarsening their language to attack their opponents.
Democrat Francesca Hong, chef and co-owner of Morris Ramen, who is running to represent the 76th Assembly District covering the Isthmus, issued a fiery tweet Tuesday evening calling the leaders of the Tavern League, the state’s trade association representing bars and other alcohol retailers around the state, “corrupt, crooked c——” and saying they don’t represent the interests of all bars and restaurants.
Please note that the corrupt, crooked, cunts at The Tavern League do not represent the interests of all bars and restaurants. Since March I have pleaded that we need united messaging, a plan and policy in place to protect public health and local economy. We still have neither.
— Francesca Hong (@Hong4assembly) October 14, 2020
“Since March I have pleaded that we need united messaging, a plan and policy in place to protect public health and local economy,” Hong said. “We still have neither.”
Hong’s tweet comes as swearing and vitriolic language has reached new popularity in political speech, with both President Donald Trump and Democrats, such as vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, peppering their tweets and public comments with swear words.
The C-word is currently the source of another political controversy in Madison politics, with the City Council recently deciding to spend up to $10,000 on an investigation to determine who uttered the word during a meeting over the teleconferencing platform Zoom. The utterance occurred after Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway introduced a member of the public, Shadayra Kilfoy-Flores, who had registered to speak.
Hong’s defenders, such as former Democratic state Senate candidate Nada Elmikashfi, say her use of the word is not the same as someone on the City Council Zoom call directing the word toward a female member of the public.
Elmikashfi, who is set to become Hong’s chief of staff in the likely event that Hong wins election in November, made waves during her Senate campaign earlier this year for her own approach to politics and political speech. Elmikashfi used a different four-letter curse word after a crowd tore down two statues on Capitol Square to protest racial injustice, writing “F—- your statues” on Twitter.
Hong won a multi-candidate Democratic primary in August and faces Republican Patrick Hull in the Nov. 3 election. Hong is expected to prevail in the heavily Democratic district.
Asked for an interview, Hong’s campaign sent a statement defending her use of the vulgarity after her tweet got attention, called criticism of her use of the word “sexist hypocrisy” and continued to criticize the Tavern League and the Republican Legislature for undermining public health.
“A swear word might break political decorum,” Hong wrote. “So I’ll stop using it when they drop their lawsuit against Governor Evers’ capacity limits. I said what I said.”
On Wednesday, Sawyer County Judge John Yackel issued a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of the statewide order affecting restaurants and bars.
A spokesman for Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, said Hintz “does not believe that is an appropriate term to use.”
Races to watch on Nov. 3
3rd Congressional District: Ron Kind (D) vs. Derrick Van Orden (R)
Ron Kind, who has represented Wisconsin in Congress since 1997, faces significant spending on behalf of his Republican challenger, Derrick Van Orden, a retired Navy Seal. Kind didn't face an opponent in 2016 when Donald Trump won the district by 4.5 points.
Total spending:
Democrats: $1,156,534
Republicans: $1,417,465
8th Senate District: Alberta Darling (R) vs. Neal Plotkin (D)
Darling is a longtime fixture of the Wisconsin Republican Party and a prolific fundraiser, but eroding GOP support in her suburban district could give her more trouble this year than she's faced before.
Total spending:
Democrats: $240,631
Republicans: $327,862
10th Senate District: Patty Schachtner (D) vs. Rob Stafsholt (R)
Schachtner's 2018 special election victory in this northwest Wisconsin district signaled a coming "blue wave" of Democratic support ahead of Gov. Tony Evers' gubernatorial win later that year. But Schachtner could face stronger headwinds in a presidential election year.
Total spending:
Democrats: $183,456
Republicans: $478,616
30th Senate District: Jonathon Hansen (D) vs. Eric Wimberger (R)
A longtime Democratic senator won this Green Bay-area district by less than 3 points in 2016 and is retiring after this year. His nephew is running for the seat, which Republicans are hoping to flip.
Total spending:
Democrats: $430,736
Republicans: $234,711
32nd Senate District: Brad Pfaff (D) vs. Dan Kapanke (R)
Wisconsin's ousted Democratic Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection secretary faces the Republican who held this competitive seat encompassing La Crosse prior to being recalled in 2011. The district, which Democrats won by just 56 votes in 2016, could prove a bellwether for the presidential outcome this year.
Total spending:
Democrats: $411,332
Republicans: $102,129
14th Assembly District: Robyn Vining (D) vs. Bonnie Lee (R)
Republicans are hoping to reclaim a suburban Milwaukee seat that had previously been held by former Gov. Scott Walker, former Sen. Leah Vukmir and current Sen. Dale Kooyenga. Outside groups have spent more than $200,000 in the district, where the Democratic incumbent flipped the seat by a less than 1 point margin in 2018.
Total spending:
Democrats: $111,835
Republicans: $238,528
23rd Assembly District: Jim Ott (R) vs. Deb Andraca (D)
The Republican incumbent has been in the state Assembly since 2007 and won his last race by about 4 percentage points. His challenger has raised more than double Ott’s fundraising total this election cycle, and Democratic spending in the district is more than twice that of Republican spending. The district includes several suburban communities north of Milwaukee, from Whitefish Bay to Grafton.
Total spending:
Democrats: $136,201
Republicans: $42,807
24th Assembly District: Dan Knodl (R) vs. Emily Siegrist (D)
The Republican incumbent since 2009 once again faces a Democratic challenger he beat by more than 2,000 votes in 2018. This year, Democratic spending in the district, which is located in the Milwaukee suburbs and includes communities like Germantown, Mequon and River Hills, has been roughly three times that of Republican spending.
Total spending:
Democrats: $81,589
Republicans: $24,179
51st Assembly District: Todd Novak (R) vs. Kriss Marion (D)
The Democratic challenger has raised nearly twice that of the GOP incumbent, who has held the seat since 2015 and won his 2018 re-election bid by a little over 300 votes, or about 1 percentage point. Outside spending has the candidates about neck and neck in the money race. The district is located west of Madison and includes communities like Dodgeville, Mineral Point and Monroe.
Total spending:
Democrats: $121,539
Republicans: $124,214
Election 2020: Who's on the Nov. 3 ballot?
The presidential election isn't the only contest on the Nov. 3 ballot. Find out more about congressional and legislative races in south central Wisconsin.
A four-term Democratic incumbent (I) faces a Republican challenger.
A 12th-term Democratic incumbent (I) faces a Republican challenger in the 3rd Congressional District in the Nov. 3 election.
U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, a Republican who has held the seat since 1979, is retiring.
A three-term Republican incumbent (I) faces a challenge from a Democratic former state senator.
Democrat Joni Anderson and Republican Joan Ballweg are facing off for the 14th Senate District seat.
Two candidates are vying to represent the 16th Senate District, which covers parts of Madison's North and East sides, as well as Monona, Fitchburg, Stoughton and Sun Prairie.
A Walworth resident is challenging the incumbent (I) for the seat representing the 31st Assembly District in the Nov. 3 election. The term is for two years.
A business owner is challenging the incumbent (I) for the seat representing the 33rd Assembly District in the Nov. 3 election. The term is for two years.
Democrat Abigail Lowery and independent Stephen Ratzlaff are trying to unseat Republican incumbent John Jagler in the Nov. 3 election.
A first-term incumbent (I) Republican faces a Democratic challenger in the race to represent Wisconsin residents in the 38th Assembly District.
A four-term Republican incumbent (I) faces a Democratic challenger in a district that covers Beaver Dam and the eastern half of Dodge County in the Nov. 3 election.
An aide for a Republican U.S. congressman and a Ripon School Board member are vying in the Nov. 3 race for the state Assembly’s 41st District.
A Republican incumbent (I) serving his first full term after winning a June 2018 special election faces a Democratic challenger in the Nov. 3 election.
A Town of Milton board supervisor and daycare owner is challenging a Democratic incumbent (I) in the race to represent the Assembly's 43rd district in the Nov. 3 election. The term is for two years.
Two Janesville City Council members are squaring off in a contest to fill the seat vacated by incumbent Democrat Deb Kolste, who is not running for a fifth term.
A political newcomer is challenging a three-term incumbent in Wisconsin's 45th Assembly District, which includes parts of Green and Rock counties on the Illinois border.
An eight-term Democratic incumbent (I) faces a Republican challenger in a district that covers Sun Prairie, Cottage Grove and Stoughton.
A Republican who has run for statewide office as a Libertarian is challenging a two-term Democratic incumbent (I) in the Nov. 3 election.
Two candidates are vying to represent the 48th Assembly District, which covers the East and North sides of Madison and the village of Maple Bluff, in the Nov. 3 election.
A five-term Republican incumbent (I) faces a Democratic challenger in a district that covers the southwest corner of the state in the Nov. 3 election. The term is for two years.
A first-term Republican incumbent faces a Democratic challenger in an area northwest of the Wisconsin Dells that includes Mauston and Reedsburg.
Three-term Republican incumbent Rep. Todd Novak faces Democratic challenger Kriss Marion in the Nov. 3 election.
A restaurant owner who won a crowded Democratic primary in August faces a Republican college senior in the race to represent Madison's Isthmus and East Side in the Nov. 3 election. The term is for two years.
A four-term Democratic incumbent (I) faces a Republican challenger in the Nov. 3 election for an Assembly seat that covers parts of the Far West Side of Madison, Cross Plains, Middleton, Verona and Waunakee.
A nine-term Democratic incumbent (I) faces a Republican challenger in the Nov. 3 election in a district that spans parts of Iowa, Dane and Green counties southwest of Madison.
The district is centered around Devil's Lake State Park and includes parts of Iowa, Dane, Columbia and Sauk counties.
Hong
Riley Vetterkind | Wisconsin State Journal
Capitol reporter
Riley Vetterkind covers politics and state government for the Wisconsin State Journal. He can be reached at (608) 252-6135 or rvetterkind@madison.com.
