FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, October 24, 2022
CONTACT: press@chenforcongress.com, (714) 696-6048
GARDEN GROVE, CA – Rep. Michelle Steel has faced swift condemnation and backlash from prominent AAPI groups after deploying offensive advertising meant to deceive voters about the record and patriotism of her congressional opponent, Taiwanese American veteran Jay Chen.
Today, following Steel’s release of a xenophobic ad attacking Lt. Commander Jay Chen, Asian Americans for Good Government PAC issued a statement denouncing the racist attacks and rescinding their endorsement of her campaign. The condemnation follows Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Leadership PAC’s denouncement of Steel’s dangerous campaign tactics last week. National and in-language AAPI outlets have similarly condemned Steel’s willingness to weaponize disinformation and harmful stereotypes.
“The AAPI community has had enough of Steel’s dangerous and xenophobic campaign tactics,” said Lt. Commander Jay Chen (res.). “This is about putting our community’s safety before politics. Steel has no business representing the residents of CA-45 when she so willingly incites hate and fear, and is so eager to sell-out her constituents for her own political self-interest.”
Background:
The Steel campaign has now been exposed using a dangerous and racist ad utilizing actors portraying Chinese Community Party (CCP) intelligence officers to shamelessly lie that Lt. Commander Jay Chen is a CCP Socialist Comrade. Watch the ad here.
An article in the LA Times has already detailed the disgusting and false red-baiting attacks Michelle Steel has been using to try and smear her opponent, Lt. Commander Jay Chen – specifically targeting immigrant communities.
The Orange County community has expressed outrage at Steel’s desperate tactics. In a press conference this month, local veterans joined Lt. Commander Jay Chen alongside House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (CA-41) and Marine Corps Veteran and Congressman Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) to publicly denounce Michelle Steel’s attempt to call into question the patriotism of a service member.
A recent Letter to the Editor published in the LA Times also slammed Congresswoman Steel’s tactics, arguing that her shameful tactics are sadly in line with the extremist Republican party and that Steel “aligns herself with a party that wants to turn our democracy into something that resembles a dictatorship.”
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