House Republican candidate Carl DeMaio of California mocked his opponent’s campaign manager with a not-safe-for-work photo of an overweight woman wearing a black bra eating a Twinkie.
In a Jan. 22 email obtained by the Washington Examiner, DeMaio used his campaign account to send the photo to two top campaign staffers. The email had no text but the subject was simply, “kate lyon,” the name of Democratic Rep. Scott Peters’ deputy campaign manager.
The DeMaio campaign had no comment and would not confirm or deny whether the email was sent, but internal metadata matched other emails sent by DeMaio on the account.
The metadata also showed that the photo appeared to have come from a liberal blog criticizing Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol. The image name was “fatbristol.jpg,” although it does not actually show Bristol Palin. The woman is shown only from the waist up.
The email is the latest embarrassment for the DeMaio campaign, which was criticized this summer for plagiarism in a campaign report and has been charged by a former staffer with sexual harassment.
The Peters campaign leveled harsh criticism at DeMaio after the Washington Examiner described the email to them.
“Kate Lyon is one of the most experienced and respected members of our staff,” said Peters campaign spokesman Alex Roth in a statement. “She previously worked as an attorney for NARAL Pro-Choice America and for Planned Parenthood. It is disgusting and despicable that this champion for women’s rights, or any woman, would be demeaned this way. I wish I could say it is shocking, but coming from Carl DeMaio, nothing is shocking.”
The email was first reported by San Diego City Beat.
