Democratic candidate Francesca Hong is working with a psychiatrist to manage depression.Nam Y. Huh/AP
Over the weekend, right-wing media, including the Post Millennial and the Gateway Pundit, resurfaced a 2023 interview featuring Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, wherein Hong opened up about a hospitalization for a mental breakdown as a teenager and a previous bipolar disorder diagnosis.
“Wisconsin Dem candidate for governor Francesca Hong admitted to being diagnosed as mentally ill,” read the Post Millennial headline.
“In typical liberal fashion, Hong tried to paint herself as a victim in the interview, blaming the crisis on feeling like an outsider as the daughter of Korean immigrants,” blogger Patty McMurray wrote on the Gateway Pundit’s site.
Hong, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is arguably the frontrunner to win the Democratic primary for the Wisconsin gubernatorial election, which will take place on August 11. Hong’s campaign includes mental health policies that would coordinate social workers, nurses, community health workers, and peer counselors in more neighborhoods throughout Wisconsin.
“My own mental health journey has given me a much deeper sense of empathy and compassion,” Hong said in a statement to Mother Jones. “I’m a stronger leader because of the times that I struggled, and it’s important to talk openly so that others aren’t isolated and can take that first step to get help.”
“Mental healthcare is a basic need, and we have to invest in community resources, training, accessibility, and culturally-relevant care,” Hong continued in her statement.
Hong is currently in treatment for depression and takes antidepressants, Hong’s team said.
The current right-wing attacks on Hong’s mental health history—at a time when Republicans outlined their support for Rep. Tom Kean (R-N.J.)’s months-long, opaque absence for depression treatment—seem particularly cruel and partisan.
“Even if the authors of the articles disagree with Ms. Hong’s politics, the inclusion of her mental health history is a blatant attempt to ignite fear in readers by fanning the flames of stigma,” said California-based therapist Andrea B. Vassilev, who has bipolar disorder.
Hong’s statements about her mental health were incredibly vulnerable, particularly for someone already in public office at the time of the interview. But the remarks likely struck a relatable chord for many people who have struggled with mental illness.
In the 2023 interview, Hong also talked about how, with her immigrant parents, they “never talked about processing emotion and feelings,” an issue that can be rooted in immigrant families’ focus on survival in a new country.
“I just felt like nothing had meaning anymore. It was a numbness that took over, and a pain that I couldn’t describe,” Hong, a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly at the time, reflected in the 2023 interview. “I couldn’t feel anymore, and that scared the hell out of me.”
