In a now-deleted Facebook post, Congressional candidate Jamie Berryhill compared open borders to sexual assault.
“A nation without borders is like a woman raped and defiled, her precious value pillaged and taken,” Berryhill wrote on Tuesday according to CBS 7.
When asked about the sexist comments by the news channel, Berryhill doubled down and explained the metaphor again: “Our nation is like women. If our borders are being encroached, it is like a woman. Like a precious woman, a person that is being defiled by an unruly infiltrator.”
Berryhill is running to replace Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland, who is retiring from Congress.
On Wednesday, Texas Democrats issued a statement pressuring Republicans to condemn Berryhill’s comments.
“This isn’t an isolated incident,” party spokesperson Brittany Switzer said. “From refusing to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act to supporting a President who has been accused of sexual assault multiple times, this is how Trump Republicans view women and survivors of sexual assault.”
Photo: Jaime Berryhill campaign website
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignalarchive.com
