Democrat Candidate Caught on Camera Stealing Opponent's Flyer
Politics can be a dirty business, and Democrat Hawaii State Rep. Matt LoPresti was caught engaging in a very dirty tactic.
LoPresti, running in the 2018 primary for state Senate, may have hit the campaign trail with good intentions; but somewhere along the way, LoPresti crossed a serious line.
While walking through neighborhoods passing out his own campaign literature, LoPresti stole a flyer from his opponent, Alicia Maluafiti, that had been left outside a home.
LoPresti probably thought he’d get away with what he did. Little did he know, the entire thing was caught on the home’s surveillance camera.
Of course, after LoPresti was caught, he apologized on his Facebook page.
“Political campaigns can be intense and emotions can cloud otherwise good judgment of even the best people. I sincerely apologize and have deep regret over my having taken some of those flyers. …”
“I was ashamed of stooping down to the level of those who had been making false statements, stealing my banners, and removing my own flyers for weeks up to that day, but it is still no excuse for me stooping to their level. …”
Interesting choice in wording. Instead of just simply apologizing, he blames “intense emotions” and compares himself to others.
And, like any good politician, he made the most of the mistake by making sure to extend his time in the media by sending audio and video of his apology to constituents to media outlets.
“I have sent Audio and Video to the media of me talking with the neighbors who remember me returning the flyer that very same day,” he said.
https://www.facebook.com/matt4ewa/videos/1056594121180650/
LoPresti’s apparent lack of integrity didn’t keep his supporters away from the polls.
He won his primary by wide margins, beating his closest opponent 54.6 percent to 24.2 percent.
Thank you to all who voted for, worked for, and endorsed our campaign. I am deeply humbled by this race, our strong victory, and will continue to work hard to do right by everyone moving forward.
— Matthew LoPresti (@DrMattLoPresti) August 12, 2018
I think it’s more than fair to wonder if we would have ever found out about LoPresti’s thievery if it was never caught on camera.
He won primary anyway, but it sure doesn’t bode well for the future.
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