(Chris Parker, Headline USA) Rep. Vincente Gonzalez, D-Texas, is attempting to distance himself from a blogger that he paid to publish racist attacks against his Republican challenger, Mayra Flores.
Gonzalez’s campaign paid The McHale Report blog $1,200 on June 24 for advertising services shortly before the attacks were published, reports NBC News. No ads have appeared on the site for Gonzalez’s campaign.
However, it has since referred to Flores as “Miss Frijoles” nearly two dozen times. “Frijoles” is the Spanish word for “beans.” It also referred to her as a “cotton-picking liar.”
Flores accused Gonzalez of paying the blogger to “run hateful & racist ads against me!” in a Tweet. However, she added, “But, I love frijoles & I grew up eating frijoles. I am not embarrassed of my upbringings & frijoles w/tortillas de harina is simply the best. Here’s to Miss Frijoles 2022.”
Blogger Jerry McHale and the Gonzalez campaign denied allegations of the post being a paid attack against Flores. The timing was only coincidental, according to statements from both parties. The insults have been denounced by both leftist and conservative groups.
However, Gonzalez was staunch in his opposition to Flores. “I am a liberal Democrat. And it’s war against the Republican … I’m going to be merciless with her,” he told NBC News.
Leftist publications have repeatedly attacked Hispanic conservative candidates ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
Earlier this month, Jennifer Medina at the New York Times went on the offensive against Republican Latina candidates and Flores specifically. She accuses of them of “embracing the extreme.”
CNN columnist Raul A. Reyes also attacked GOP Latina candidates, claiming they are not “the real deal.” “Their current prominence is more of a publicity coup for the GOP than an authentic reflection of Latino voters,” he wrote.
Flores responded to that claim with a jab at Jill Biden’s recent gaffe. “As per CNN: I’m not the real deal,” Flores Tweeted. “Maybe I’m not the right type of taco.”
