Krystal Ball: Female candidates refuse to succumb to public shaming efforts

Hill.TV host Krystal Ball on Tuesday said that women running for office are pushing back against efforts to publicly shame them, citing Sonoma, Calif., councilwoman Rachel Hundley’s response to someone posting photos of the candidate in her underwear.

“People are done with this B.S.,” Ball told guest host Lawrence Jones on “Rising.”

“I do want to say that even with the wave of women who are running for office, and so many have stepped up this year on both sides of the aisle, but in particular Democratic women, they know they’re going to face this kind of nonsense and they are doing it anyway,” Ball said. “They are refusing to be shamed in the public square.”

Hundley this month received an anonymous email that called her “immoral and unethical” and said she should end her reelection bid. The councilwoman opened the link to a now-disabled website, called “Rachel Hundley Exposed,” that included photographs of Hundley in her underwear at the Burning Man art and music festival.

Hundley responded in a campaign video, calling the senders of the email “spineless individuals.” She also accused them of “slut shaming.”

“What was especially disturbing in this era of Me Too was the attempt to slut shame me for celebrating my body and for my attendance at Burning Man, an internationally renowned arts and culture festival, and an event I’ve proudly and openly attended,” Hundley said in the video.

Jones said on Hill.TV that the political landscape has changed since President Trump took office.

“I think all standards, when it comes to people’s personal bodies and what they decide to do, went out the door when we elected Donald Trump,” he said. “So people should be able to do whatever they want to do. The image of what a politician should look like is done.”   

— Julia Manchester


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