Antonio Delgado is a Rhodes Scholar, Harvard Law Grad and a Democratic candidate from New York’s 19th congressional district who just raised a whopping $3.8 million dollars, but people are unnerved that the New York Post has repeatedly referred to him as an “ex-rapper.”
Delgado, a newcomer to national politics has been marred with the label of “rapper” by New York’s GOP establishment in attack ads, a tactic that many feel is coded language, filled with negative connotations.
Hey NY Post, fixed your headline:
Antonio Delgado, a Harvard Law School graduate, Rhodes Scholar and lover of hip-hop raised $3.8M for campaign against Republican. https://t.co/64WO226H45
— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) October 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/BenjySarlin/status/1052565307531911169
The New York Post wrote a similar headline in August dubbing Delgado a “controversial rapper”
Obama endorses controversial rapper ahead of midterms https://t.co/cYrVh0HKS6 pic.twitter.com/vUTJvmRyqV
— New York Post (@nypost) August 2, 2018
With what some call race-baiting tactics employed to discredit Delgado to white constituents, his campaign hasn’t missed a beat. He raised $3.8 million in the third quarter, $2.8 million more than his opponent incumbent Republican Rep. John Faso.
Delgado achieved professional success not as a rapper but as an attorney before announcing his bid for Congress. He told The New York Times that he saw the ads as attempts to “otherize” him in his home district, which is largely white, the HuffPost reported.
“People have been contributing because they want their elected official to represent their interests in Congress and not be beholden to corporate donors,” Delgado told The New York Post.
“We have taken a pledge not to take any corporate PAC money, unlike John Faso, and our campaign’s donations come from individuals who believe in our commitment to ensuring access to quality and affordable health care, real engagement and accountability.”