La Crosse, WI (June 17, 2026) – Today, Hmong Organizing & Mobilizing for Empowerment (HOME) announced their endorsement of Francesca Hong for governor following a bilingual community-led endorsement process. The organization believes Hong’s common sense policies will keep Hmong families safe, secure and healthy.
HOME identified three priority issues for Hmong Wisconsinites: Medicare/Medicaid accessibility; affordability; and anti-immigration policies and rhetoric. On all three issues, Hong’s campaign delivers positive, pragmatic change. First, she intends to expand BadgerCare with the understanding that language barriers consistently shape healthcare inaccessibility for non-English-speaking Wisconsinites. On the issue of affordability, Dr Xong Xiong, Executive Director of HOME, stated, “We need a governor who understands, supports and advocates for universal social policies that address wealth inequality.” The US Census data estimates that nearly 34% of the Wisconsin Hmong population works in physically demanding, low wage manufacturing jobs at almost double the rate of the general population. This keeps families locked in a cycle of poverty. Finally, Hong has called for the abolition of ICE. In her service as a State Assembly Member, with her support of the Hmong and Asian American Education Bill and her support of the Keeping Families Together Bill package, she has a proven history of understanding and advocating for immigrant, refugee, and marginalized Wisconsinites.
In her endorsement materials, Hong stated, “I have learned from Hmong youth, women, queer people and many community leaders from organizations and individual advocacy about the importance of multigenerational and collectivistic community building…. Long term care and childcare that is culturally relevant must be acknowledged and policies put forth to support our ‘sandwich generation’ who must take care of aging parents and their own children. I have met with Hmong educators, farmers and youth on the campaign trail as well to further enrich my understanding of the issues most important to the communities. I understand it is important not to address the community as a monolith and to be mindful of localized issues as well.”
Dr. Xiong connected Hong’s campaign to Hmong Wisconsinites: “Hmong people are very family-oriented. We love each other deeply and show up for each other, all because of the relationships we delicately build and cultivate with each other over years. Hong began building a relationship with the Hmong Wisconsin community long before her decision to run for Governor, which indicates to me that she will continue to care for our community.”
HOME encourages Hmong Wisconsinites to support Hong’s campaign by getting involved with local organizing, talking with friends and family about her platform, and voting for her in the Democratic primary on August 11th.
