Early life and career
Hong was born on November 4, 1988 in Madison, Wisconsin to Korean American immigrant parents. [2] [3] During her childhood, she attended public schools in Madison, graduating from Madison West High School in 2007. [2] Hong then attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, dropping out in 2009 to work a full time job. [4] During her time at the university, Hong studied Spanish and journalism. [5]
After attending UW–Madison, Hong began working as a dishwasher at 43 North Restaurant in Madison, later becoming a line cook, sous chef, and eventually executive chef at the restaurant in 2011. [3] [6]
In 2016 Hong and her then-husband, Matt Morris, opened Morris Ramen. [5] The restaurant remained open until 2024, when it closed down in February of that year. [7] Also in 2016, Hong helped found the Culinary Ladies Collective, alongside fellow business owners Tami Lax and Laila Borokhim. [8]
Political career
In August 2020, incumbent representative Chris Taylor, of the 76th state assembly district, was appointed to be a judge on the Wisconsin Circuit Court for Dane County's 12th branch, which left the assembly district vacant until the end of the term. [9] Hong, who at the time did not reside in the district, announced a campaign to succeed her. [10] During the primary, Hong ran a progressive campaign opposing the Madison police union and supporting the ability for culinary workers to organize into unions, while also emphasizing her experience as a chef and restaurant owner. [11] [12] She won the 7-person primary with 28% of the vote, a 6 point margin over fellow Democrat Tyrone Cratic Williams, who garnered 22.37%. [11]
Hong defeated Republican Patrick Hull in the general election by a 77 point margin, and was sworn in on January 4, 2021. She became the first Asian American state legislator in Wisconsin history. [13]
During her first term in the legislature, Hong sponsored efforts to raise the tipped minimum wage. [14] During her first term, Hong introduced a bill to establish an Economic Bill of Rights in Wisconsin. [15] A supporter of environmental rights, she was among 10 people to sign up for a "dunk tank" fundraiser in Madison on August 1, 2021 to raise awareness about the importance of clean water. [16]
In 2022, Hong was re-elected unopposed. After the election, Hong was appointed to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation board of directors, to the seat controlled by the Assembly minority leader, Greta Neubauer. [17]
In February 2024, Hong backed reforms to implement paid family leave in the state. [18]
During the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Hong backed the Uncommitted National Movement to protest President Joe Biden's policies towards the Gaza war, and drafted a letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. [19] In May 2024, Hong was endorsed by the Madison Area chapter of Democratic Socialists of America. [20] In the 2024 elections, Hong was re-elected unopposed. Following the elections, Hong joined the State Assembly's Socialist Caucus. [21]
In March 2025, Hong supported the Climate Accountability Act, which aimed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030, with the goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. [22] Hong additionally co-sponsored a bill establishing an Economic Bill of Rights in the state, which she had previously introduced in the 2021–2022 and 2023–2024 legislative sessions. [23]
In May 2025, Hong formed the first Asian Caucus in the State Assembly with freshman representatives Angelito Tenorio and Renuka Mayadev. [24]
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
