Francesca Hong Sued Over Credit Card Debts
Campaign of Democratic candidate for governor say debt arose from business expenses.
Rep. Francesca Hong speaks at a governor candidate forum Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, at the Cooperage in Milwaukee, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Rep. Francesca Hong, a leading Democratic candidate for governor, was recently sued over credit card debt.
According to public court documents, the financial institution Capital One sued Hong over nearly $30,000 in unpaid debts. The lawsuit was filed in Dane County on May 26 and was first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In a statement, Hong said that she was “not ashamed to have accrued debt in pursuit of my dream.”
The campaign said that Hong, a former restaurant owner, accrued debt from “business expenses that rose astronomically during the pandemic,” and said that her struggles with debt informed her politics and understanding of working people’s struggles.
Hong worked as a chef and bartender in Madison and co-owned Morris Ramen for seven years until it closed in early 2024.
“I am disappointed debt is portrayed as a moral failing, especially when people can’t afford the basics of daily life,” said Hong, describing the story as a “distraction.”
“What we should all be ashamed of is continuing to let working people struggle to feed their families or simply put gas in their cars while billionaires and corporations are making record profits off of our hard work,” she said.
Hong has served in the state Legislature since 2020. She is part of the Democratic Socialist caucus, and previously told WPR she is running on working-class issues.
Early polling shows that those politics resonate with a portion of Wisconsin’s Democratic voters. In a crowded field of at least seven, polling has consistently shown Hong to be first- or second-most popular.
Those politics have also put her in the crosshairs of conservative critics, who have tied her to other left-wing figures including New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, who has endorsed Hong.
An attorney representing Capital One did not respond to WPR’s calls.
Francesca Hong sued over credit card debts was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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Hahaha. As compared to what? A bankrupt President and GOP? The double standards have reached absurdity. In politics these days I try to remember: “Every accusation is a confession”.
I guarantee that in the time you read this comment the Trump family will have stolen more than $30,000 from us. We need a governor who knows what debt is and stands up to it and not runs through bankruptcy.
I appreciate that this article included insightful quotes from Ms. Hong whereas the Journal story did not. Instead they (rather weirdly IMO) stated,
“As governor, Hong would oversee the state’s financials, including through building a state budget that is crafted, in part, on borrowing”.
They also asked her campaign manager if campaign funds were used to pay off the debt, they weren’t. If she does maintain her popularity it is guaranteed the media will hold her to a much higher standard than other potential candidates.
Of course, the media will hold Hong–a women and democrat–to a higher standard. God forbid they look into the dubious bankruptcies of the current WH occupant.
While the media toots the Bill of Rights’ amendment address freedom of the press. The real issue is that it’s only free press is in those on social media. The current press has been bought by the oligarchs who also control our state and national government bodies.
Mkwagner – Not just a Democrat and a woman, but one of color. What Hong is accused of is chicken feed vs white male corporate criminals who do a lot more skipping out on their bills. The double-standard is obvious, and many business owners go under if they don’t have Daddy’s money backing them up.
But I do worry about it in the sense that there’s beginning to be a constant drip of stuff coming out against Fran that low-info white people could use as an excuse to vote against her come November. And that needs to be a calculation when you vote in the primary in August.
Missy Hughes for governor! She has been getting lost in the cluster of candidates but she truly has the best & broadest chance of winning against (R)Tiffany. Please take time to check out Missy’s experience. We have to be very careful about the difference between our primary favorite and who can actually win head to head in Wisconsin. And the Milwaukee & Madison votes aren’t the only ones that matter here.