The 14th Legislative District in Central Washington is one of the most competitive districts in Washington state this year. Due to court-mandated redistricting, for the first time ever, Latino voters in the Yakima Valley and Tri-Cities have the ability to elect a candidate of their choosing.
Three strong Democrats stepped up to run in the 14th this year, and each of these races is going down to the wire on Tuesday. The Democrats have worked hard to knock on thousands of doors, and their Republican opponents are clearly worried about losing.
On Friday evening, four days before Election Day, the Washington State Republican Party, under the leadership of extremist Jim Walsh, sent out text messages to Latino voters in the 14th District that contain some of the most vile and offensive lies that we’ve ever seen in Washington state politics.
Democratic candidates Maria Beltran, Chelsea Dimas, and Ana Ruiz Kennedy have deep ties to the community and would be pragmatic leaders in Olympia.
Here’s what Jim Walsh’s Republican Party said about them to Latino voters:
Maria Beltran, Ana Kennedy and Chelsea Dimas… hate you, they hate your family, they hate God, and they hate the truth. Don’t let them represent you!
This is wrong. This is offensive. This is hateful. These lies are designed to divide Latino communities in Central Washington.
Maria Beltran said, “They accuse me of awful, flatly untrue things and disrespect my Catholic faith and Mexican heritage.”
Beltran, Chelsea Dimas, and Ana Ruiz Kennedy and the Latino community are under attack by the Washington State Republican Party and extreme Chair Jim Walsh.
We also demand the Republican opponents – Senator Curtis King, Gloria Mendoza, and Deb Manjarrez – disavow and condemn these attacks.
And we urge statewide Republican leaders like Congressman Dave Reichert, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, Raul Garcia, and Michael Baumgartner to say that enough is enough and reject these hateful lies.
If Republican candidates don’t speak out, their silence is an approval of this awful attack.
Jim Walsh and the Washington State Republican Party have crossed the line. They must take these attacks down, apologize to the candidates, and apologize to the voters of Central Washington.
– Washington State Democrats
Washington State Democrats PO Box 4027 Seattle, WA 98194 United States