South Carolina Democrats have called on Krystle Matthews, the party’s black candidate for Senate from the state, to quit the race after leakage of a series of remarks that she purportedly made about her white constituents.
The remarks were secretly recorded by the conservative activist group Project Veritas.
In the recording, Matthews, who runs against incumbent Republican Senator Tim Scott, was heard saying that she represents a “mostly white” district and adding, “I keep them right here — like under my thumbs. […] Otherwise, they get out of control — like kids” – in an apparent nod to White voters.
“You ought to know who you’re dealing with. You’ve got to treat them like s***. That’s the only way they’ll respect you”, she was also heard arguing.
The audio also features Matthews speaking to an inmate about funding her campaign with "dope boy money" and having Democrats run as Republicans. She insisted that “secret sleepers” represent "the only way you’re gonna change the dynamics in South Carolina."
Matthews admitted that it was her voice on the recording, claiming, however, that the edited audio of a "tongue-in-cheek" exchange failed to reflect the full picture of the conversation. She also slammed Project Veritas as a “satirical MAGA-powered news outlet”.
The Democratic Party’s South Carolina State Representative Justin Bamberg was quick to describe Matthews as “toxic”, adding that “if any of our white counterparts had said the same thing with regards to blacks, the minority community, including myself, would be up in arms calling for that member’s immediate resignation.”
Other Democrats made it clear that they support Bamberg’s position, with gubernatorial nominee Joe Cunningham Cunningham stressing that “there is absolutely no place in our political discourse” for Matthews’ comments. According to him, “the Democratic Party cannot and should not tolerate such behavior from our elected officials and candidates.”
He was echoed by Senator Brad Hutto from South Carolina, who pointed out that “when candidates of either party start making irresponsible statements, beyond what party they’re from, they need to reevaluate their candidacy, and that’s what needs to happen here.”
One more member of the Democratic Part, Catherine Fleming Bruce, also urged Matthews to drop out of the race, arguing that she “has made it impossible for her to be that standard bearer, representing our state’s diverse population.”