Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, a candidate for the Miami Beach Commission, falsely claimed last week that she was the “most high-profile Hispanic Democrat in the city,” the Daily Beast reported.
After critics called her out on the claim, Gonzalez apologized, suggesting that it was all a misunderstanding.
“It is being reported that I have called myself Hispanic. Clearly, I misspoke,” she said to the Washington Post. “I deeply apologize to anyone that was offended.”
Gonzalez later suggested that she has “always identified politically as a Hispanic,” despite being white and having no Hispanic heritage.
Nonetheless, she felt the need to apologize for her lie.
“I’ve apologized and I’ve said I am obviously not Hispanic,” she added.
Gonzalez’s situation calls to mind other Democrats who have famously fantasized about being part of an “oppressed” or multi-racial group.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, for example, lied about her supposed Native American heritage.
Rosen Gonzalez got married in 2001 to a man named Emilio Gonzalez. She took his last name—and kept it, even though the couple divorced in 2009.
She noted that her children are Hispanic, that she’s close to the Hispanic community, and speaks Spanish fluently.
However, “That does not make me Hispanic,” she has said.
Gonzalez has also received much criticism on social media as a result of her lie.
In response to the online backlash, Gonzalez claimed, “My political alliances are all Hispanic, though I love and represent everyone, and I said that unconsciously. Again, I apologize.”
Many asked her to explain what she meant.
In response, she wrote, “It means that most of my political mentors are Hispanic, and historically, although I love and represent the entire community, many of my constituents are Spanish, and a lot of help provided to the community is transacted in Spanish.”
