ST. PAUL [9/28/20] — U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Jason Lewis will have their third and final debate on Friday, this time hosted by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). Leading up to the debate, throughout this week Sen. Smith’s re-election campaign will be sharing where Lewis stands on important issues because voters deserve to know why he’s wrong for Minnesota.
When it comes to Lewis, it’s no secret that he has a long history of comments demeaning women, complaining about not being able to call them “sluts” and saying women who care about contraception are “without a brain.”
Just this month, in a radio show interview with Joel Heitkamp, Lewis was played his previous comments disparaging women. In the clip, Lewis can be heard saying, “Well, the thing is, can we call anybody a slut?…It used to be where women were held to a little bit of a higher standard. We required modesty from women, now, are we beyond those days where a woman can behave as a slut but you can’t call her a slut?”
Lewis has repeatedly doubled down on these comments, saying things like, “I’m not gonna self censor, I’m gonna say what I believe and I don’t care who it traumatizes.” Lewis has also said, “The positions I took on the issues then and the positions I take now, I believe in,” and “I don’t take views I don’t at root believe in. I really don’t.”
In addition to comments about women, CNN recently reported that Lewis once mocked a fifth grade girl who was a victim of sexual harassment. Lewis called the harassment–which included a male student grabbing the fifth grade girl’s breasts and telling her he wanted to “get in bed with her”–“teasing” and dismissed it as “Billy” chasing “Susie.” Sadly, this is not the only instance of Lewis mocking victims of sexual assault.
Last week, the Smith campaign released a new TV ad, called “Rigid,” that holds Jason Lewis accountable — in his own words — for his previous comments. It’s time for Minnesotans to say no to Lewis and his extreme views once again.