Democratic Socialist Governor Candidate Berates Hospitals
Wisconsin's upcoming gubernatorial race could become an important test of where the Democratic Party is headed, particularly as candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America continue gaining traction in state and local elections.
One of those candidates is Wisconsin State Rep. Francesca Hong, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. During an appearance Sunday on the podcast Community Conversations with Brix Cider, a program associated with the Southwest Wisconsin Area Progressives, Hong defended hospitals that provide what she described as gender-affirming care for minors and criticized medical systems that have chosen to stop offering those services.
"This attack on our trans kids, especially, you know, to see what's happening with healthcare—gender-affirming care, that is healthcare—coming down from our hospitals," Hong said.
"It's cowardly what's happening, and it's important that elected officials and folks with the platform speak up and speak out to ensure that all of our students feel safe, can be themselves, and know that they have a governor that's in their corner."
Hong's comments referred to decisions made earlier this year by two of Wisconsin's largest health systems, Children's Wisconsin and UW Health University Hospital, to discontinue providing gender transition-related treatments for pediatric patients.
Socialist candidate Francesca Hong says Wisconsin hospitals that have stopped transing kids are "cowardly" pic.twitter.com/I3VqVA2uaL
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) July 13, 2026
According to a January report from Wisconsin Public Radio, those decisions followed action by the Trump administration, which announced that hospitals providing such treatments to minors could risk losing federal Medicare and Medicaid funding. Rather than continue offering the procedures under that uncertainty, the two health systems chose to end the services.
Supporters of the administration viewed the hospitals' decisions as a practical response to a new federal policy. Hong, however, characterized the move as an abandonment of transgender youth and argued that elected officials should publicly oppose it.
The exchange reflects one of the country's most divisive political debates. Critics of pediatric gender-transition treatments argue that minors should not undergo irreversible medical interventions while still developing and point to concerns about long-term outcomes. Supporters contend that gender-affirming care can be medically appropriate for some patients and should remain available under the supervision of healthcare professionals.
Medical organizations have also taken differing positions. The American Academy of Pediatrics has supported an individualized approach to treatment. Meanwhile, reporting by The New York Times noted that the American Medical Association and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons have supported delaying certain surgical procedures until adulthood.
Hong's comments also highlight how influential Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates have become within Democratic politics. The organization has scored several high-profile victories in recent elections, fueling debate over whether the party is moving further left on a range of social and economic issues.
In Wisconsin, Hong is more than a long-shot candidate. She currently represents part of Madison in the Wisconsin State Assembly and has emerged as a credible contender in a competitive Democratic primary. According to The New York Times, she has polled competitively in the crowded field and finished second in a straw poll conducted among delegates at the Wisconsin Democratic Party convention in June.
That makes the August 11 primary worth watching. Wisconsin remains one of the nation's most closely divided battleground states, with Democrats holding the governor's office while Republicans control the state legislature. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will enter a race likely to attract national attention.