JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Republican Mississippi state Sen. Jeremy England says he intentionally wore what he considers a “very embarrassing” Halloween costume to raise money for breast cancer research: a bright pink bodysuit with a short pink skirt.
Now England says a photo of him in the suit has been misused, with an insult directed at him, in an increasingly divisive Republican primary as he backs Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann for re-election.
A supporter of one of Hosemann’s opponents posted a picture of England in a tutu on Twitter along with the comment: “Hosemann and his strange hairdressers”.
“I think it’s one of the worst, dirtiest forms of politics, which is, of course, where we are now in this race,” England told The Associated Press.
“Groomer” is commonly used to describe how sex offenders initiate contact with their victims. The word has become ubiquitous in American politics, as certain conservatives try to equate certain educational materials with pornography or pedophilia.
Hosemann faces two challengers in the Aug. 8 primary. State Sen. Chris McDaniel has run two unsuccessful U.S. Senate races in the past decade, including a bitter race against former incumbent Thad Cochran in 2014. Tiffany Longino is a low-spending educator in her first bid for public office. If no one wins a majority, the race moves to a runoff on August 29.
In a new TV ad for Hosemann, England says he supported McDaniel in 2014 for Senate, but now considers that a mistake and is supporting Hosemann for a second term as lieutenant governor. England said that shortly after the ad began airing, he received a text message from state Sen. Melanie Sojourner, who publicly supports McDaniel. England said the message had no words, just a photo of England in the tutu.
“It was obvious he was sending it to me as a threat,” England said.
England responded to Sojourner with a “HaHa” to the image and wrote that he had worn the costume in his neighborhood to raise money for breast cancer research as part of the American Cancer Society’s “Real Men Wear Pink” effort.
The next day, another McDaniel supporter posted a similar photo of England on Twitter with the reference “groomer weirdos.” The tweet has since been deleted, but England have kept a screenshot of it.
England posted about the episode on Facebook and revived her fundraising effort for the American Cancer Society. By Saturday, he had raised about $5,600.
In response to questions from the AP, Sojourner said the tone of the text exchange between her and England was “absent of any intent to threaten and/or intimidate Senator England.” He said he laughed and liked her messages.
“As the joker of the Senate chamber, Senator England’s new decorum is both ironic and strange,” Sojourner said. “Sen. England are crying foul just to score political points for their chief manager, Delbert Hosemann.
Sojourner said he doesn’t know if the person who called England a “perfectionist” is associated with McDaniel’s campaign.
McDaniel said in a statement to the AP: “To be clear: I don’t condone any of the vitriol directed at Sen. England, or any of the toxicity that breeds our modern political environment. Volunteers are where campaigns are won and lost, but it’s impossible for any campaign or candidate to control every volunteer on social media.”
During the 2014 US Senate campaign, some of McDaniel’s supporters entered a nursing home without permission and photographed Cochran’s wife, who had dementia. Pictures of her appeared briefly online. McDaniel said he had nothing to do with the incident. McDaniel refused to concede his loss in the Republican primary runoff after Cochran’s campaign courted black voters who typically vote in Democratic primaries.
Republican-led Mississippi is electing state officials this year, including a governor and lieutenant governor. Although candidates for the two jobs run as a ticket in some states, governor and lieutenant governor are elected separately in Mississippi.
The lieutenant governorship is one of the most powerful positions in Mississippi government. The person presides over the 52-member state Senate, appoints Senate committee leaders, and has a lot of leeway in deciding what legislation lives or dies.
In the Nov. 7 general election, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor will face Democrat D. Ryan Grover, who so far reports that he has spent no money on his campaign.
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