Overview

• State Rep. Francesca Hong launched her campaign Wednesday, presenting herself as a movement-focused outsider and self-described “wild card.”
• Hong highlighted priorities such as universal child care, paid family leave, lower health costs, better pay for in‑home care workers, and robust public school funding.
• Drawing on her service‑industry background as a chef, bartender, and former small‑business owner, Hong framed her bid around the pressures facing working families.
• Her entry joins Democrats Sara Rodriguez, David Crowley, and Kelda Roys in a primary with no clear front‑runner; Republicans Josh Schoemann and Bill Berrien are the only declared GOP candidates.
• One outlet reports she pledged to reject donations from billionaires and corporate PACs, and the Democratic primary is scheduled for August 2026 with the general election in November.