A Michigan senator’s speech went viral after she took to the Senate Floor to defend herself against unsubstantiated claims made by another lawmaker in a campaign email.
Democratic Michigan Sen. Mallory McMorrow addressed the state Senate in response to an unproven allegation that she wants to “groom and sexualize kindergartners.”
The allegation was made in a fundraising email by Republican state legislator Lana Theis, who represents the state’s 22nd district.
“I didn’t expect to wake up yesterday to the news that the Senator from the twenty-second district had overnight accused me by name of ‘grooming and sexualizing children’ in an email fundraising for herself,” McMorrow said in her speech on Tuesday.
- Hear more from McMorrow on Flashpoint this Sunday (April 24) at 10 a.m.
McMorrow has been heard on Twitter alone more than 14.2 million times.
“I just wanted to very clearly say that what was said about me was unacceptable and what was said about everyone else with this language was not acceptable. But I did not anticipate the reaction at all,” McMorrow said.
McMorrow’s speech hasn’t just garnered her millions of views and a massive reach, but also massive fundraising.
Recent reporting has shown the speech helped Michigan Democrats raise about $250,000 in just the last couple of days.
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Senator Lana Theis accused me by name of grooming and sexualizing children in an attempt to marginalize me for standing up against her marginalizing the LGBTQ community...in a fundraising email, for herself.
— Mallory McMorrow (@MalloryMcMorrow) April 19, 2022
Hate wins when people like me stand by and let it happen. I won't. pic.twitter.com/jL5GU42bTv