• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Grammy Awards: Men’s fashion steals the red carpet in stereotype-shattering style
  • New York police abused demonstrators at George Floyd protest, report finds
  • Trevor Noah pokes fun at Prince Harry’s frostbitten penis

Virginia Democrat in Campaign Ad: ‘I Was Drugged and Raped by a Superior’ in the Marines (WATCH)

John Wright May 22, 2020 Leave a Comment

Russo

Claire Russo (pictured), a Democratic congressional candidate in Virginia, has released a first-of-its-kind campaign ad in which she recounts being sexually assaulted.

“It was 2004. I was attending the Marine Corps ball when I was drugged and raped by a superior,” Russo says in the ad. “The military told me they wouldn’t prosecute, but I was determined to find justice. So I took my case to civilian court, and my attacker went to jail, and I refused to let him stop me from serving my country in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’m Claire Russo, and I have always run toward the fight. Now, I’m running for Congress to take on the fights that matter most to you.”

video
play-rounded-fill
Link
typorama 6 copy

The New York Times reports: Her television ad is the first to feature a candidate’s personal recollection of rape, according to political strategists and organizations that track political ads. Set to air on broadcast and cable networks starting this week, the spot is expected to make up a major portion of her advertising, according to her campaign. … As she leans into her history as a survivor of sexual violence, Ms. Russo is aligning herself with a powerful element of the Democratic Party’s identity in the #MeToo era: that it is the party for women, by women. Over the last three years, many Democrats expressed a zero-tolerance stand on sexual misconduct. Though occasionally divisive within the party, that position has allowed Democrats to draw a clear contrast with President Trump. Frustration over Mr. Trump’s history of misogynistic remarks and allegations of sexual violence, as well as the treatment of Christine Blasey Ford during Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings in 2018, helped Democrats win control of the House in the midterm elections — largely on the support of suburban women.

Russo, a combat veteran, is running in a crowded Democratic primary in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. As we reported earlier this month, the state GOP is poised to oust incumbent Republican Congressman Denver Riggleman after he officiated a gay wedding last year, and replace him with an anti-LGBT nominee.

More from Roll Call: A handful of other women running for Congress have talked about their personal experience with sexual assault in recent campaigns. Arizona Sen. Martha McSally, a Republican who is one of the 10 most vulnerable senators on the ballot this year, mentions her own military sexual assault in a video she released when she launched her campaign in February. Usha Reddi, a Democratic mayor running for an open Senate seat in Kansas, talked to CQ Roll Call about her decision to prosecute her father for raping her as a child. He pleaded guilty shortly before she launched her campaign. Criticism of how the military deals with sexual assault is not new. CQ Roll Call reported last week that despite promising to do so, the Pentagon had not implemented recommendations made in 2011 by the Government Accountability Office to establish a Defense Department-wide system to monitor how military leaders were combating harassment and assault. On May 15, the chairwoman and ranking Republican on the House subcommittee overseeing Pentagon personnel matters called for “immediate action” on the recommendations.

Topics: History, towleroad More Posts About: #MeToo, 2020 Election, Claire Russo, congress, Democratic Party, Denver Riggleman, Republican Party, Virginia

Related Posts
  • Beyonce ‘is running MeToo checks’ on potential collaborators
  • Queen Misses Husband; Say She’s been Sad; Slips Gift to Those Grieving with Grace, Humor — As The GOAT Queen Does — She Models How To Ensure Your Your Slice of Xmas Joy LISTEN
  • U.S. appeals court pauses release of Trump documents to House riot probe
  • New York police abused demonstrators at George Floyd protest, report finds

    New York police abused demonstrators at George Floyd protest, report finds

    Published by Reuters By Tyler Clifford NEW YORK (Reuters) – An independent New York City police review board has recommended that the department punish dozens of officers for excessive use of force and other alleged misconduct …Read More »
  • Trevor Noah pokes fun at Prince Harry’s frostbitten penis

    Trevor Noah pokes fun at Prince Harry’s frostbitten penis

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Trevor Noah poked fun at Prince Harry’s frostbitten penis during the Grammy Awards on Sunday (05.02.23). The 38-year-old star couldn’t resist mocking the prince’s intimate revelation about his icy agony – …Read More »
  • Key winners at music industry’s 2023 Grammy Awards

    Key winners at music industry’s 2023 Grammy Awards

    Published by Reuters By Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The biggest names in the music industry gathered in Los Angeles on Sunday for the 65th annual Grammy Awards ceremony. Here is a list of winners …Read More »
  • Sam Smith and Kim Petras scoop Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammy

    Sam Smith and Kim Petras scoop Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammy

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Kim Petras paid tribute to the “transgender legends” who “kicked the doors open” for her as she picked up her first Grammy Award on Sunday (05.02.23). The 30-year-old singer and her …Read More »
Previous Post: « Texas Mayor Defends Ban on Women Leading Prayers at City Meetings: ‘Why Can’t I Have My Choice, Too?’ (WATCH)
Next Post: Chechnya’s Anti-Gay Strongman Leader is Hospitalized with COVID-19: Reports »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • Study Finds Anti-Social Straight Male Sex Issues May Pose Bigger Crisis Threats to Society

    Study Finds Anti-Social Straight Male Sex Issues May Pose Bigger Crisis Threats to Society

  • Ted Cruz claims Buttigieg running against Biden because his ‘cadence’ is ‘mimicking Barack Obama’

    Ted Cruz claims Buttigieg running against Biden because his ‘cadence’ is ‘mimicking Barack Obama’

  • ‘Invasion of privacy’: Some Florida athletes leery of being made to reveal menstrual cycles

    ‘Invasion of privacy’: Some Florida athletes leery of being made to reveal menstrual cycles

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Dennis Rodman On If He’d Ever Get Back With Ex-Girlfriends: “I Tried Madonna, I Tried Carmen Electra…”

    Dennis Rodman On If He’d Ever Get Back With Ex-Girlfriends: “I Tried Madonna, I Tried Carmen Electra…”

  • James Gunn Seemingly Confirms The DCU Will Finally Have Gay Superheroes

    James Gunn Seemingly Confirms The DCU Will Finally Have Gay Superheroes

  • Vanilla Ice Admits He Rejected Madonna’s Proposal Before They Split: ‘I Thought The Guy Was Supposed To Do That’

    Vanilla Ice Admits He Rejected Madonna’s Proposal Before They Split: ‘I Thought The Guy Was Supposed To Do That’

RSS Partner Links

  • Beyonce Was Late To The Grammys And Still Made History As The Artist With The Most Awards Ever
  • Stars Banned From 'Saturday Night Live'
  • OMG have you heard: Tom Brady touches himself
  • Alan Cumming celebrates his birthday!
  • Chris Brown Lost Last Night’s “Best R&B Album” Grammy to Robert Glasper, And Unsurprisingly, Acted Like A Sore Loser
  • Harry Styles Won Album Of The Year At The 2023 Grammys And Some People Are Shocked
  • Tom Brady Strips Down to His Underwear to Keep a Promise He Made on Social Media

Most Recent

  • Grammy Awards: Men’s fashion steals the red carpet in stereotype-shattering style

    Grammy Awards: Men’s fashion steals the red carpet in stereotype-shattering style

  • New York police abused demonstrators at George Floyd protest, report finds

    New York police abused demonstrators at George Floyd protest, report finds

  • Trevor Noah pokes fun at Prince Harry’s frostbitten penis

    Trevor Noah pokes fun at Prince Harry’s frostbitten penis

  • Key winners at music industry’s 2023 Grammy Awards

    Key winners at music industry’s 2023 Grammy Awards

  • Sam Smith and Kim Petras scoop Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammy

    Sam Smith and Kim Petras scoop Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammy

  • Beyonce makes history at Grammys with 32 wins

    Beyonce makes history at Grammys with 32 wins

  • Hong Kong court makes landmark ruling protecting transgender rights

    Hong Kong court makes landmark ruling protecting transgender rights

  • Beyonce breaks all-time Grammy wins record, Harry Styles claims album prize

    Beyonce breaks all-time Grammy wins record, Harry Styles claims album prize

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×