Right-wing outlets, including the Post Millennial and the Gateway Pundit, revisited a 2023 interview in which Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong disclosed a teenage hospitalization for a mental breakdown and a prior bipolar disorder diagnosis. Hong, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and a current Wisconsin State Assembly member, is leading the Democratic primary race for the August 11 election. Her campaign platform calls for expanding mental health services by integrating social workers, nurses, community health workers, and peer counselors across the state. In the interview, Hong said her personal experience deepened her empathy and motivated her to speak openly about mental health. She emphasized that mental health care is a basic need and advocated for increased funding for community resources, training, accessibility, and culturally relevant services. She also noted that she is currently receiving treatment for depression and takes medication, according to her campaign. Therapist Andrea B. Vassilev of California, who has bipolar disorder, said the focus on Hong's history appears intended to generate fear and reinforce stigma. The timing coincides with Republican discussions about Representative Tom Kean's extended absence for depression treatment. The controversy highlights the challenges candidates face when discussing mental health publicly and the debate over how such personal histories are used in political discourse.