There’s a good chance you’ve not previously heard of Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming. Endorsed by Donald Trump, Hageman beat Liz Cheney (a Trump critic) in the Republican Primary in 2022. She went on to win Cheney’s seat in the US House.

As you might expect, she ran on a MAGA platform of American First values. She yesterday joined with GOP colleagues in slating Kamala Harris to replace Joe Biden as the Democratic Presidential candidate.

Hageman disgusted many with an interview she gave yesterday in which she said Harris “intellectually” was “just really kind of the bottom of the barrel.”

“I think she was a DEI hire,” Hageman said.

As a reminder, Kamal Harris graduated from Howard University and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She was District Attorney of San Francisco and then Attorney General of California, before entering the US Senate in 2017.

Hageman also worked as an attorney before her election to office. She gained her law degree at the University of Wyoming College of Law.

AOC weighs in

Many feel Republican comments on Harris being a “DEI hire” are belittling to women and non-white ethnic groups.

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was among to call out the comments, saying, “What women who attack others like this don’t realize is whoever they think they’re appealing to calls them ‘DEI’ too the moment they leave the room.”

Others suggested Hageman only finally achieved political office (she ran a failed gubernatorial bid in 2018) because of how MAGA turned upon Liz Cheney.

George Santos

However, besides Hageman’s words, many were struck by her appearance. It reminded them of a certain, notorious, occasional-drag-wearing ex-GOP congressman.

“George Santos has become so hateful since his expulsion,” was one well-liked comment on X.

Many others could not unsee the similarity.

(Screenshot)

George Santos is infamous for telling a bunch of lies in order to be elected to Congress. There’s no suggestion Hageman did the same… she just happens to bear a resemblance to his drag persona and share his politics.

Hageman is not the first Republican politician to try and attack Harris as a “DEI hire”. However, others within the Republican movement realize the move could alienate them from voters they need to win over.

At a press conference yesterday, speaker Mike Johnson said, “This election … is going to be about policies, not personalities. This isn’t personal with regard to Kamala Harris. Her ethnicity, her gender, has nothing to do with this whatsoever.”

Whitley Yates, director of diversity and engagement for the Indiana Republican Party, told The Hill the GOP needs to stop using “DEI hire” to try and attack Harris.

“These terrible detrimental things, it will drive people away,” said Yates. “I think we need to get completely off of race and gender, and they need to focus on what policies are [they] going to have. We don’t have time to focus on those social issues.”

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