Conservative blasts GOP over Indian-American candidate

by Ben Kamisar - 08/26/16 11:48 AM ET

The Senate Conservatives Fund is hitting House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other establishment Republicans for blocking the rise of a GOP candidate who could be the first Indian-American congresswoman.

SCF President Ken Cuccinelli blasted the party’s establishment in an email to supporters Friday that questioned the wisdom of supporting Neal Dunn, a Florida businessman running for the GOP primary in the state’s 2nd district, over attorney Mary Thomas, who has earned praise from more conservative groups.

{mosads}“The GOP establishment loves to talk about how the Republicans need more women and minorities in office to improve the party’s image. But when a young, conservative 38-year-old Indian-American woman seeks office, they move heaven and earth to defeat her,” Cuccinelli wrote.

“If Mary Thomas wins this race, she will be the first Indian-American woman to serve in the United States Congress, but Kevin McCarthy and his allies want to defeat her and elect a liberal, middle-aged white guy. It’s hypocritical and indefensible,” he wrote.

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Cuccinelli goes on to charge that the “DC establishment doesn’t care about diversity” and that McCarthy and super-PACs linked to House leadership are working to tar Thomas as a liberal.

The accusations come as Republicans spar over which candidate is more tied to former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. ESAFund is currently out with a spot that hits Thomas as a “Charlie Crist Republican,” while SCF just released a new ad calling Dunn a “liberal lobbyist” who once supported Crist.

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