Karen Hunter is drawing strong reactions after criticizing voters she believes helped defeat Jasmine Crockett in a recent Texas political contest involving James Talarico.
Speaking on her SiriusXM Urban View program, “The Karen Hunter Show,” Hunter argued that misinformation about Crockett influenced some voters.
“A lot of Latinos did not vote for Jasmine Crockett in Texas,” Hunter said. “While I want to yell and scream about it, I think they’re lost. This is now the third election where we have seen stupid people continue to do the stupid thing.”
Hunter focused on the ongoing backlash surrounding comments Crockett previously made about plantation labor and says that some voters misunderstood the context.
“The reason why they’re saying they didn’t vote for Jasmine Crockett is because she said something about picking cotton on a plantation,” Hunter declared. “Instead of saying, ‘What does she mean by that?’ you ran off with a narrative that was a lie.”
According to the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, some immigrant communities may not have familiarity with African American history in the U.S. “If you’ve come here from another country, you’re not forced to know anything about African history, African American history, or American history,” she said. “You’re coming here thinking you’re going to make your life better.”
Hunter then weighed in on the misinformation being deliberately disseminated about Crockett online. “It’s okay if you don’t like Jasmine Crockett for her policies,” she said. “But if you’re spreading bad information about her, that’s a problem. We should at least be dealing with the same facts.” During the segment, Hunter also responded to a social media clip of a woman criticizing Crockett and claiming the “picking cotton” remark was offensive. Hunter rejected that interpretation.
“If you think Jasmine Crockett was talking about you, you’re wrong,” she said. “What she was fighting for was for none of us to be in the fields picking cotton. None of us.”
Hunter closed by urging voters to learn more about history and politics before spreading claims online. “Pick up a book,” she said. “Get in a study group. Free your mind.”
Listen to the full clip below.
