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”I was a nobody and God transformed me into one of the most feared, respected, and loved women in American politics,” she said.
One day after her brother’s support for her campaign him fired from the office of a New Jersey mayor, Valentina Gomez, a right-wing extremist Republican candidate for secretary of state in Missouri, faced a resounding defeat in the primary election on Tuesday night. Gomez, who claimed in a statement to The Advocate that she “was a nobody and God transformed [her] into one of the most feared, respected, and loved women in American politics,” placed sixth out of eight Republican candidates, securing just over 7 percent of the vote.
Related: Aide to N.J. mayor loses job over support of anti-LGBTQ+ sister running for Missouri office
According to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, the final results showed Gomez receiving 47,931 votes, or 7.4 percent. The winning Republican candidate, Denny Hoskins, garnered 157,116 votes.
Gomez’s campaign was marred by controversy, primarily due to her belligerent and derogatory remarks against the LGBTQ+ community. Her rhetoric included using slurs and advocating for exclusionary practices, such as creating separate categories for transgender athletes in Olympic sports. She warned against being “weak and gay” and called WNBA star Brittney Griner an “unpatriotic lesbian.” These statements and her incendiary social media posts drew significant backlash from various advocacy groups and political figures.
One of Gomez’s most controversial actions was a video in which she burned LGBTQ-themed books with a flamethrower, declaring that such books should be destroyed to protect children from “groomers,” a derogatory term used by bigots to attack the LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, she targeted Democratic Missouri secretary of state candidate Barbara Phifer, who has a transgender grandchild, accusing her of raising a “groomer” and suggesting she belonged in a nursing home.
Last week, Gomez posted several videos using an antigay slur repeatedly. In one video, she said, “These f****ts should get their own f****t category, because before, if a man hit a woman, it used to land them in jail. Now, it gets you a gold medal at the Olympics.” She continued to make disparaging remarks about transgender athletes and LGBTQ+ individuals in a statement to The Advocate that was mostly unfit to print.
Despite Gomez’s incendiary campaign, Phifer remained steadfast and victorious in the Democratic primary on Tuesday. A state representative and former United Methodist Church pastor, Phifer won her primary with 146,284 votes, or 40.9 percent.
In response to questions about her use of hate as a campaign tactic, Gomez told The Advocate on Wednesday after her defeat that she made history in the name of Jesus Christ and claimed to be transformed from a “nobody” into one of the most feared, respected, and loved women in American politics.
“I put the fear of God in pedophiles, groomers, and corrupt politicians. I never sold out, spoke the truth, and did the right thing for the American people,” she claimed.
Gomez stood by her words and videos, believing they would endure the test of time.
She further said, in transphobic terms and without evidence, that children should be learning academic subjects, not being influenced to change their gender or sexuality.
“Darwinism will take care of these LGBTQ people as they have castrated themselves and cannot reproduce,” she added.
Related: Missouri Democrat defends trans grandchild against GOP secretary of state candidate’s attack
The Advocate contacted Phifer for comment but did not immediately hear back.
In response to Gomez’s defeat, a spokesperson from GLAAD commented on the results. “Voters resoundingly rejected this candidate’s violent behavior and appalling rhetoric about LGBTQ people,” the spokesperson told The Advocate. “The results underscore yet again the research that shows attacking transgender people is a losing campaign strategy.”
A recent GLAAD voter poll revealed that 53 percent of both registered and likely 2024 voters said they would oppose a candidate who frequently speaks about restricting access to health care and participation in sports for transgender youth. The poll also found that 81 percent of likely 2024 voters believe parents, not politicians, should make decisions about health care and mental health services for transgender youth.
The spokesperson also criticized Meta for failing to remove several Instagram posts that Gomez made in violation of community guidelines. The posts contained antigay slurs.
“Meta needs to enforce their own hate speech policies, or they are complicit in emboldening candidates like this who try to score political points while endangering innocent people. It is reckless to give disinformation and unhinged people free reign in the public square or on social media,” the spokesperson said. “Meta can and should moderate hateful content so actual ideas can be debated on their platforms, rather than help accelerate extremism and violence.”
Meta’s inaction regarding Gomez’s hate-filled posts last week sparked an ongoing debate about the platform’s moderation of content. Despite multiple reports, her slur-filled videos remained on Instagram, violating Meta’s policies against hate speech and incitement to violence.
The backlash against Gomez’s campaign also affected her brother in New Jersey, Jonathan Gomez-Noriega, who served as an aide to Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a Democrat. Gomez-Noriega’s support for his sister’s campaign led to intense scrutiny and calls for his resignation from the city’s LGBTQ+ Task Force. The situation culminated in his resignation after Fulop expressed his disappointment and terminated Gomez-Noriega’s employment, citing that his actions did not align with the city’s values.
“The Fulop Administration has zero tolerance for bigotry and racism, and Mayor Fulop’s record speaks to that. Jonathan’s actions are inexcusable. Whether it’s campaigning for his sister, advising her hate-driven campaign, or supporting her financially, the fact is that Jonathan’s actions render his responsibilities working in City Hall on policies around diversity impossible to achieve,” Fulop’s press secretary, Kim Wallace-Scalcione, wrote.
Jonathan Gomez-Noriega did not respond to The Advocate’s multiple requests for comment.
HRC national press secretary Brandon Wolf celebrated Gomez’s defeat in remarks to The Advocate. “Valentina Gomez is the latest candidate to come face to face with the consequences of their own bigotry. Newsflash: the American people have made clear over and over that anti-LGBTQ+ hate is a losing political strategy,” Wolf said. “No poorly produced video or slur-filled circus act is going to change that. If she’d spent half as much time talking to voters in Missouri as she did trolling people on Twitter, she would have known that from the start.”
Jonathan Gomez-Noriega’s support for his sister’s extreme views, despite his position on a New Jersey LGBTQ+ Task Force, cost him his job, raising the question: Was it worth the price?
