A group led by a former adviser to Donald Trump is responsible for mailers that say “Joe Biden and Left-Wing officials are engaged in widespread racial discrimination against white and Asian Americans.”
The mailers delivered to voters in at least three Congressional districts are being denounced by the Connecticut Democratic Party.
“Equity is not a bad word. Diversity, inclusion, equity – none of these are bad words. Equity does not mean jobs are being taken away from people,” Lauren Gray, a spokeswoman for the Connecticut Democratic Party, said. “It means that barriers are being removed.”
The back of the mailer, which has shown up in other states too, says “Biden and the left want to decide who gets hired – and who gets fired according to their skin color.”
Gray said “no one is being excluded because of gender, race, sexual preference. It’s just really gross to see this kind of mailer.”
Banu Pan of Guilford, who received one of the mailers, said she was “disgusted” by it. Pan is white and her husband is Asian.
She said the “white grievance approach is targeting voters who can be swayed by violence-inciting rhetoric.” She said the mailer seems to be trying to convey this notion that something is being taken from you and you should be angry.
“It’s impactful because it’s trying to incite violence and hatred,” Pan said.
She said it’s even more disturbing because it’s unclear who is specifically funding the effort.
The mailer is paid for by the America First Legal Foundation, but because it’s a not-for-profit, it’s unclear who exactly contributed to sending the mailer.
America First Legal Foundation is a group launched by former Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller, who played a central role in immigration policy. It was started in 2021.
With races heating up as the midterm election draws near these mailers have appeared in other states too, like Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, as well as California, Texas and Oklahoma.
America First Legal Foundation did not respond to emails seeking comment, but it told the Washington Post: “We are simply educating the American people about attempts from big government, big business, and big education to discriminate based on race,” America First Legal vice president Gene Hamilton said in a statement, pointing to this week’s arguments in a Supreme Court case examining whether race can be a factor in college admissions.
University of Connecticut Political Science Professor Ron Schurin said this type of politicking is something that has been seen in other states, but has been something Connecticut has largely avoided.
“It’s deplorable,” Schurin said. “I’m sorry to see it happening in Connecticut.”
