Bill Maher spent three years telling Democrats that Joe Biden was too far gone to be president – and they ignored him until it was too late.
He looked into the camera and told Democrats exactly what their socialist Wisconsin governor candidate is.
And Democrats in Wisconsin found out what happens when even their own side stops covering for them.
Francesca Hong Wants to Cancel Thanksgiving and Abolish the Police
Francesca Hong is a DSA-backed socialist state assemblywoman from Madison, Wisconsin, endorsed by Ilhan Omar – and she is the frontrunner in Tuesday's Democrat primary to become the next governor of a state Donald Trump won in 2024.
Her platform calls for abolishing ICE, publicly owned grocery stores, and defunding the police – though her campaign now claims she has abandoned that last position.
And her path to the front of the field was cleared when her top primary opponent, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, suspended his campaign amid a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace.
That left Wisconsin Democrats on the verge of nominating a self-described socialist in a swing state before a general election that Newsweek now rates as a Republican advantage.
Then came the holidays.
Hong wrote in a since-deleted post that Americans should "cancel Thanksgiving" – calling it "the original superspreader event that killed Indigenous folx and women."
She told Politico she felt "attacked" when someone put a Christmas scene on her computer and called Valentine's Day "the holiday that brings out the worst of humanity."
She also opposes Fourth of July fireworks and dislikes Halloween.
On CNN earlier this week, she defended the Thanksgiving post – telling anchor Kaitlan Collins the holiday "is also a time that's incredibly painful for many people in our communities."
Two days later, she told Politico that Thanksgiving is now her "favorite holiday."
Bill Maher had seen enough.
Bill Maher Called Her Something She Cannot Walk Back
Maher opened Real Time with a joke that turned into a verdict.
"Democrats have found a candidate who hates Thanksgiving and wants to get rid of it," he said. "Finally, a politician willing to stand up to big stuffing."
Then he turned serious.
When Hong's reversal came up, Maher dismissed it cold. "Surprisingly, Debbie Downer's policy about Thanksgiving is not popular with anybody, really. It does have 98% approval with turkeys."
He explained exactly why he did not believe the flip. "You know why I know she meant it? Because she hates all holidays."
Then came the full indictment – Christmas, Fourth of July, Halloween, Valentine's Day – before Maher closed with the line that cut deepest. "I don't believe you people who renounce things. We know what you said. You mean it, live by it."
His final word: "I couldn't make a character like this up. And she's running for governor of a big state, Wisconsin."
Hong did not make a mistake. She revealed herself, and Maher made sure the whole country saw it.
Francesca Hong Said It Was Her Favorite Holiday Four Days Later
Hong told Politico this week that Thanksgiving is now her "favorite holiday" and that she actually loves it.
That came after she spent the previous week on CNN defending the same post she was now disavowing – a reversal even Democrats could not ignore.
Democrat strategist David Axelrod saw the damage coming. "It's answers like these that cause many to think if this chef wins the gubernatorial primary in WI, Ds may be cooked," Axelrod posted to X.
Cook Political Report's Jessica Taylor called the Thanksgiving answer "so off the mark for what people view as 'normal.'"
When you have lost Axelrod and Cook, you have lost the room.
Wisconsin Governor Race Just Became a Republican Advantage
Unlike New York City or Denver, Wisconsin is a state where family, football, and turkey on Thanksgiving Thursday are not political statements – they are just life.
Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Wisconsin GOP Gubernatorial candidate, told Fox News: "This is a big part of our culture in Wisconsin: family, football, turkey. Socialists just want to destroy our culture."
DSA has logged real wins in urban primaries this cycle – flipping House seats in New York, Colorado, and Michigan.
But Maher's point is the same point Republicans have been making for months: a candidate who hates every American holiday is not a general election candidate, she is a general election gift.
The primary is Tuesday. If Hong wins it – and she is favored to – Wisconsin Republicans will be running against a socialist who called Thanksgiving a superspreader event, tried to recant it in the same week she defended it, and got fact-checked on live television by the Left's own Bill Maher.
That ad writes itself.
Sources:
- Ian Hanchett, "Maher: 'Don't Believe' Hong Saying She's Now OK with Thanksgiving, 'Couldn't Make a Character Like This Up,'" Breitbart, August 8, 2026.
- "Wisconsin Democratic candidate for governor backtracks on hatred of Thanksgiving," Washington Times, August 6, 2026.
- "Francesca Hong defends Thanksgiving views in CNN governor race interview," Fox News, August 4, 2026.
- "Republicans Now Favorites to Win Wisconsin Governor Election Amid Dem Chaos," Newsweek, August 3, 2026.
- "Francesca Hong urged canceling Thanksgiving in since-deleted post," Fox News, August 1, 2026.