A blogger who received campaign funds from U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, lobbed racist attacks on Republican Rep. Mayra Flores, the first woman born in Mexico to be elected to Congress and Gonzalez鈥檚 opponent in the race for Texas鈥� 34th congressional district.
Texas political blogger Jerry McHale referred to the congresswoman as鈥淢iss Frijoles鈥� and 鈥淢iss Enchiladas.鈥� He accused her of 鈥減laying the race card;鈥� and called her a 鈥渃otton pickin鈥� liar鈥� over her claims that she with her immigrant parents as a child.
Gonzalez鈥檚 campaign gave the McHale report $1,200 on June 24 for 鈥渁dvertising services,鈥� according to the Federal Elections Commission, as well as $1,000 on Oct. 27 last year.
Gonzalez did not immediately respond to request for comment.
NBC News . Gonzalez's campaign manager, Collin Steele, told NBC News that the campaign didn't pay for McHale to deploy those attacks, texting the network: 鈥淥f course, the congressman is against referring to Rep. Flores as 鈥楳iss Frijoles鈥� or a 鈥榗otton-picking liar鈥�."
In a statement to The Texas Tribune, Flores said she was 鈥渄isgusted that Vicente Gonzalez has hired a creepy blogger to attack my Mexican heritage and sexually degrade me, but I won鈥檛 let this distract me from my work.鈥�
鈥淰icente Gonzalez is an example of everything that鈥檚 wrong with Washington. He doesn鈥檛 have a record to stand on,鈥� she said.
McHale also appears to have received disbursements for advertising from campaigns for former U.S. Reps. Filemon Vela and Solomon Ortiz going back to 2004. The campaign for Vela, who resigned from office earlier this year, gave McHale $500 for advertising in March 2020.
This is the second time since Flores was elected in her June 14 special election that Gonzalez has taken heat for comments made about his opponent. Gonzalez last month that the freshman congresswoman was an 鈥渦nqualified鈥� 鈥減awn鈥� of the Republican Party and distanced himself from Flores by saying: "I wasn't born in Mexico, I was born in South Texas, the son of a Korean war veteran."
McHale defended his rhetoric in a Monday blog post where he wrote Flores 鈥渙bviously has no concept of satire, particularly in the political arena,鈥� adding 鈥渨hen did frijoles become the equivalent of the "N" word?鈥�
Flores highlighted the posts on Twitter, drawing comparisons to First Lady Jill Biden鈥檚 comments in San Antonio last week where she said the city鈥檚 Latino community was 鈥渦nique as the breakfast tacos鈥� (the first lady later ). Several Republican allies drew a similar comparison, with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, 鈥�#WeAreNotTacos鈥� in support.
