As Californians see a mix of new and familiar names at the ballot boxes, politicians in the 21st century must navigate cancel culture with past social media posts.


What You Need To Know

  • A scandal in the race for city controller has brought up the issue of how social media affects political campaigns

  • With press picking up the story, opponents of the candidate have called for him to drop out of the race

  • If campaign consultants dig deep enough, what they find is fair game in taking down their client’s opponent, according to democratic campaign consultant Michael Trujillo

“There may be a photo of you having one too many margarita's and I think that's everyone, but when you make commentary about politics or policy on your social media accounts, that's fair game, especially if you're running for office,” democratic campaign consultant Michael Trujillo told “Inside the Issues” host Alex Cohen.

Voters might look at politicians’ social media accounts and get their perspective on various policies and elected officials. If campaign consultants dig deep enough, what they find is fair game in taking down their client’s opponent, Trujillo said.

Two years ago, certified public accountant Kenneth Mejia posted his thoughts on then-Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden, calling him a “rapist” and “racist.” These tweets have come back to haunt Mejia, who is running for city controller in the June 7 election.

Mejia’s opponents have stated these past tweets show poor judgment, with one opponent calling for Mejia to drop out. Councilman Paul Koretz, who is also running for controller, shared Mejia’s posts and a Los Angeles Times story on the issue to his social media.

To Trujillo, promoting an opponent’s scandal is a part of the race.

“It's Mr. Kurtz's job to make the LA Times story about Mr. Mejia famous. And that's what they're doing,” Trujillo said. “Because the LA Times, by most voters, is still seen as a neutral arbitrator, they're really not trying to do anything crazy. So I think both campaigns have a piece of the LA times that they're probably happily promoting.”

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