GOP Lawmaker Forced to Defend 'Embarrassing' Costume Featuring Tutu During Primary Race
Mississippi state Sen. Jeremy England says he intentionally wore what he considers a “very embarrassing” Halloween costume — a shiny pink bodysuit with a short pink skirt — to raise money for breast cancer research.
Now, the Republican says a photo of him in the outfit has been misused in an increasingly divisive GOP primary as he supports Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann for re-election.
A person backing one of Hosemann’s opponents posted an image of the tutu-clad England on Twitter along with a comment: “Hosemann and his groomer weirdos.”
“I consider that to be some of the worst, dirty form of politics — which is, of course, where we are now in this race,” England told The Associated Press.
“Groomer,” commonly used to describe how sex offenders initiate contact with and manipulate their young victims, has become ubiquitous in American politics as conservatives denounce efforts by LGBT activists and others to indoctrinate and sexualize children in the classroom, on social media and elsewhere.
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 longtime incumbent Thad Cochran in 2014.
Tiffany Longino is an educator who is spending little in her first run for public office.
If nobody wins a majority, the race goes to an Aug. 29 runoff.
In a new Hosemann TV ad, England says he supported McDaniel in 2014 for Senate but now considers that a mistake and is endorsing Hosemann for a second term as lieutenant governor.
The state senator, who has two children with his wife, Melissa England, said that soon after the ad started airing, he received a text message from state Sen. Melanie Sojourner, who is publicly supporting McDaniel. England said the message had no words — just a photo of England wearing the tutu.
“It was obvious that she was sending that to me as a threat,” he said.
England responded to Sojourner with a “HaHa” on the picture and wrote 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 “groomer weirdos” reference. The tweet has been deleted, but England saved a screenshot of it.
Also, since the original post attacking me was removed, I’m sharing the screenshot here for context. pic.twitter.com/VaYkrEPatI
— Senator Jeremy England, MS51 (@JeremyEnglandMS) July 19, 2023
England posted about the episode on Facebook, and he revived his fundraising effort for the American Cancer Society. By Monday morning, he had raised more than $6,200.
In response to questions from the AP, Sojourner said the tone of the text exchange between her and England “is absent of any intention to threaten and/or bully Sen. England.” She said he laughed and liked her messages.
“As the jokester of the Senate chamber, Sen. England’s newfound decorum is both ironic and bizarre,” Sojourner said. “Sen. England is crying foul purely to score political points for his enabler in chief, Delbert Hosemann.”
Sojourner said she does not know whether the person who called England a “groomer” is associated with the McDaniel campaign.
In a statement to the AP, McDaniel said, “To be clear: I do not condone any vitriol aimed at Sen. England, nor any of the toxicity our modern political environment breeds. Volunteers are what campaigns are won and lost on, but it’s impossible for any campaign or candidate to police every volunteer on social media.”
During the 2014 U.S. Senate campaign, some McDaniel supporters entered a nursing home without permission and photographed Cochran’s wife, who had dementia. Images of her appeared briefly online. McDaniel said he had nothing to do with the incident.
Republican-led Mississippi is electing state officials this year, including a governor and a lieutenant governor. Although candidates for the two jobs run as a ticket in some states, the 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 great leeway to decide which legislation lives or dies.
In the Nov. 7 general election, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor will face Democrat D. Ryan Grover, who reports spending no money on his campaign so far.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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