Candidate kills TV ad criticized as ‘racist’ in Washington mayoral race
A Seattle mayoral candidate faces backlash after one of her campaign ads was accused of portraying a negative racial stereotype against her opponent.
Candidate Lorena Gonzalez released a TV ad digging at candidate Bruce Harrell’s response to former mayor Ed Murray’s sexual misconduct scandal.
The ad called “Survivor” showcased a white sexual assault survivor who says she was attacked five years ago, but her abuser was never prosecuted.
“It was horrifying to me to hear Bruce Harrell defend Ed Murray, saying people shouldn’t be judged by what they may have done in the past,” the woman says in the ad.
Harrell, who is Black and Asian American, called the video racist, inaccurate and wrong in a tweet on Sunday.
“Our community is hurting. That’s why leaders in Seattle’s Black community penned a letter rejecting this kind of politics and calling for the ad to come down,” Harrell said in the tweet.
More than 400 Black community members asked Gonzalez to remove the ad, saying it portrayed a racist trope and suggested Harrell, “a Black man, is in some way connected to her trauma as a sexual assault victim,” according to the signed letter posted on Harrell’s campaign website.
Gonzalez removed her ad from the campaign, according to an issued statement on Monday, KUOW-FM reported. She will replace the sexual assault ad with another video that depicts her promise to expand services for people experiencing homelessness.
In a three minute video responding to the backlash, Gonzalez apologized for not centering her ad around a sexual assault survivor who is a person of color.
Former Seattle Mayor Ed Murray faced five sexual abuse allegations in 2017, Crosscut reported that year.
Harrell served on the Seattle City Council and initially defended Murray, but he walked back his support after Murray resigned, Crosscut reported in September 2017.
The 2021 mayoral election will take place on Nov. 2 between Gonzalez and Harrell. Incumbent Mayor Jenny Durkan decided not to run in the race, KIRO-FM reported.
This story was originally published October 26, 2021 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Candidate kills TV ad criticized as ‘racist’ in Washington mayoral race."
