U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney’s campaign is calling out Republican opponent Janet Peckinpaugh for a press release Friday morning claiming she could be the first woman elected to the Second Congressional District seat.
Neil McKiernan, Courtney’s campaign manager, corrected Peckinpaugh’s statement with his own release saying Chase Going Woodhouse was the first woman to represent the district nearly 60 years ago.
“Peckinpaugh’s claim is an insult to the outstanding public service of Chase Going Woodhouse,” McKiernan said. “Although Peckinpaugh routinely touts her experience as a journalist and investigative reporter, she once again demonstrated how ill-informed she is on even the most basic history of eastern Connecticut.”
Peckinpaugh’s campaign apologized for the gaffe.
“We realize we made a mistake this morning in our release,” Danica Pecirep, Peckinpaugh’s spokeswoman, said in a statement Friday afternoon. “If elected, Janet Peckinpaugh would be the second woman to represent CT’s 2nd District in Congress. We are respectful of the valuable contributions made by the late Congresswoman Chase Going Woodhouse and apologize to her family for our oversight. Fifty years is far too long to wait for another woman to serve the 2nd District in Congress.”