Francesca Hong proposed “the highest top income tax rate in America” and then lied about it during the debate. She was called out for the lie by a top liberal attorney, Ann Jacobs, and by likely Republican nominee, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany.
“Fran Hong was not telling the truth about taxes tonight. She supports a 17.7% tax rate. Not just a 1% increase. Here’s the law she proposed,” wrote Ann Jacobs, a prominent liberal lawyer who is the chair of the six-member Wisconsin Elections.
Here’s the lie on video:
Hong lied
Said she would increase top tax rate to 8.65%Bill creates 5th individual income tax bracket
$750k for single
$1M couples filing jointly ($500k if separate)
Sets bracket’s rate at 17.30% for tax year 2025 and 17.70% for subsequent yearsBill⬇️https://t.co/355sUHaWF9 pic.twitter.com/18O8MnKeuJ
— RJ🧀🍺 (@WIdigregorysj) July 29, 2026
“Proposed the Highest Top Income Tax Rate in America: During the debate, Hong also claimed the highest income tax rate she supports is 8.65%. Yet earlier this year, she introduced Assembly Bill 1209 to raise Wisconsin’s top income tax rate to 17.3% for tax year 2025 and 17.7% thereafter,” Tiffany wrote. “The proposal would give Wisconsin the highest top income tax rate in the nation, roughly four percentage points higher than California’s.”
Other people also caught the lie in real time. During the debate, Hong acted confused when a moderator inquired about whether businesses and wealthy people would simply leave the state. She said the moderator was “discussing a hypothetical, I’m confused about that.” Then, bizarrely, she said, “We can improve the quality of life of millionaires.”
Did Hong just lie about her own tax plan in this debate?
— Eric Bott (@EricJBott) July 29, 2026
JR Ross, of Wispolitics, told Hong on video that about 10,000 income tax filers in Wisconsin have adjusted gross incomes of more than $1 million. She confirmed that she wants “an additional income tax bracket.” The plan is also on her website.
The bill’s history says it was “introduced by Representatives Clancy, Hong, Phelps and Rivera-Wagner.”
Here’s what the non-partisan fiscal note says. It confirms that Hong co-authored a bill to create a “5th individual income tax bracket.” It would apply to taxpayers with taxable income of at least $750,000 for single taxpayers, and $1 million for married couples filing jointly. It set the bracket’s rate at 17.30% for tax year 2025 and 17.70% for subsequent years. The bill did not pass.
“Francesca Hong can flip-flop all she wants, but she can’t hide who she is. She’s a card-carrying socialist who called to abolish the police, abolish the U.S. Senate, and introduced a bill to make Wisconsin’s top income tax rate the highest in America. Now her campaign is trying to rewrite her record because they know her ideas are too radical for Wisconsin, but they can’t rewrite her own words,” said Tom Tiffany.
He also listed these other examples:
Abolish the Senate: “This week, Francesca Hong’s campaign told Fox News, “Rep. Hong has never called for abolishing the U.S. Senate. Tiffany cannot produce a single statement where she did, because it doesn’t exist.” Yet, on February 13, 2021, Francesca Hong posted, ‘Abolish the Senate.'”
Defund/Abolish the Police: “During WISN 12’s Democratic gubernatorial primary debate Tuesday night, Francesca Hong claimed she would not cut funding for police departments. However, in 2021, Hong voted against Senate Bill 119, which would have reduced shared revenue to municipalities that defund their law enforcement agencies. She has also called to defund the police multiple times, and even to “defund then abolish” the police. When asked after the debate if she still supports abolishing the police, she gave another non-answer.”
