Source: Roy Rochlin / Getty
A Fox News station is facing major backlash for using a mugshot in place of Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison.
The incident occurred on Fox 24 News in Charleston, where the news anchor announced that Harris would be visiting Summerville, South Carolina in Dorchester County where he will be doing a meet-and-greet. The segment then cut to a mugshot of someone who was not Harris with the anchor saying, “That is not him.”
Although the moment was brief, it quickly caught the eye of South Carolina Representative JA Moore, who tweeted, “Unacceptable that @FOX24Charleston would use a mugshot instead of an actual photo of @harrisonjaime in this news story. They need to issue a formal apology. Jaime has my full support and I stand with him.”
Another Twitter user posted, “Yall look at this! This is some STRAIGHT UP BULLSH*T! I don’t know if it is sinister or incompetence; but there is a level of disregard for Black candidates that allows sh*t like a random mugshot to be shown instead of their picture. #HarrisonJaime deserves better and an apology.”
Harrison eventually responded to the mugshot on Twitter. “Growing up poor in Orangeburg—and as a Black man in the South—I’ve experienced casual discrimination before,” he wrote. “I’m deeply troubled by this error in judgment by a trusted news organization and expect better from Fox 24 Charleston.”
Jaime Harrison is going against Lindsey Graham for his U.S. Senate seat representing South Carolina.
According to Charleston City Paper, Harrison is a former lobbyist raised in Orangeburg, South Carolina and attended Yale University. According to The State, Harrison raised over $7 million in 2019 and formed a joint fundraising account in January called the Cunningham Harrison Victory Fund with Cal Cunningham, who’s in the race for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina. Cunningham is aiming to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who was elected in 2014.
“We are glad to be partnering with Cal Cunningham’s strong campaign in North Carolina to raise the resources together to win the Carolinas in 2020 and get Washington to work for everyday Americans,” explained Harrison spokesman Guy King.
Harrison has run on a platform that includes growing the middle class and protecting health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. He also supported the conviction of Trump, who was recently acquitted of two impeachment articles.
“As a man of faith who tries to live his life by doing what is right, I would have voted today to convict the President,” he tweeted on Wednesday after the acquittal announcement. “What is at stake right now is whether we can rise above politics and whether America can again be that shining city on the hill. Today, we failed that test.”
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