A political mailer depicting Republican candidate Gracey Van Der Mark as a sticker logo on a cluster of bananas is receiving harsh criticism from the Orange County Republican Party.
In social media posts on Thursday, Oct. 22, the OC GOP shared an image of a political mailer paid for by the California Democratic Party opposing Van Der Mark who is running against Democrat Chris Kluwefor Assembly District 72.
On the front of the mailer, stylized in all capital letters, it reads: “There’s a word for Gracey Van Der Mark’s Extreme Agenda…” Next to this text is an image of a cluster of bananas, with a photo of Van Der Mark acting as a sticker logo.
The back of the mailer reads in part:
The back of the mailer reads in part: “She wants you to forget her extreme agenda but Van Der Mark’s record is absolutely Bananas…”
In its social media posts, the Republican Party of Orange County alleged the image is meant to conjure up the Chiquita banana logo, and accused the California Democratic Party of resorting to “racist tropes.”
“The Republican Party of Orange County condemns in the strongest possible terms the racially degrading mailer recently deployed by the California Democratic Party,” the party said. “This toxic brand of identity-based mockery has no place in this campaign.”
A spokesperson for the California Democratic Party,
A spokesperson for the California Democratic Party, in an email Friday, confirmed the mailer was paid for by the party.
California Democratic Party Executive Director Melanie Ramil said in a statement that the mailer only calls into question Gracey’s record.
“The mailer is calling Gracey’s record bananas, but that was the nice way to say it. Her record is bigoted, corrupt and extreme. Gracey’s statements and ties to violent extremist groups have been condemned by civil rights groups,” Ramil said Friday. “If the Republican Party of Orange County actually cared about the Latino American community, they would spend their time condemning the cruel and unconstitutional ICE operation terrorizing communities across the state instead. Voters won’t be deceived by this desperate attempt by Republicans when there is real work to be done.”
Van Der Mark, in a statement, said she
Van Der Mark, in a statement, said she is “used to attacks but that doesn’t make this acceptable.”
“As the daughter of an Ecuadorian immigrant, I take pride in my heritage and humble, working-class roots. I’ve faced attacks before, and I won’t be distracted by them. My focus remains where it belongs: fighting for California families, safer communities, and a more affordable future,” Van Der Mark, who a Huntington Beach City Councilmember, said on Friday. “Producing racially motivated content is wrong, and the California Democratic Party should be ashamed of putting it out.”
Kluwe, an ex-NFL player turned small business owner and author, says the Orange County GOP is taking the image out of context. He says the party is trying to manufacture controversy because “they know that they’re in trouble” and will lose the seat, currently held by a Republican.
It’s very clear that the mailer is referring
“It’s very clear that the mailer is referring to Gracey’s record and the actions that she has taken as an elected official, and it’s a very common statement that, when something is crazy or out of control, we refer to it as ‘that’s bananas,’” he said. “I think this is (the party) trying to manufacture a controversy to draw attention away from the fact that this was supposed to be a safe, Republican seat, and now they’re scrambling because they ran a candidate whose record shows that she just does not serve the people of her local community.”
Assembly District 72 seat spans Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Woods and Lake Forest.
