Piñata stunt draws criticism as organizers double down
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A piñata with the face of Democratic congressional candidate Shannon Bird from a forum on Feb. 24 in Thornton. Photo: John Frank/Axios
A candidate forum in Colorado's 8th Congressional District is drawing rebukes from the state party and other prominent political figures after the lone woman in the Democratic primary was depicted as a piñata.
Why it matters: The intra-party scuffle, first reported by Axios Denver, underscores the discord in the party and the high stakes in the race to defeat Republican incumbent Gabe Evans.
Driving the news: Colorado Democratic Party chairperson Shad Murib issued a statement Thursday — two days after the forum — blasting the "imagery that invokes violence."
- He also criticized an event organizer's joke about "not beating women."
What he's saying: "Women face enough obstacles in American politics without being turned into effigies," Murib said in a statement. "Democrats champion women who run for office – we don't make jokes or quip about violence against them. That is a basic standard in our party, not a political disagreement."
- He continued: "I remain hopeful that those involved in this forum didn't intend harm, but intention doesn't erase impact."
Zoom in: Other Democrats also reacted sharply to the stunt.
- "It's degrading to portray any candidate as a piñata — but especially the woman in this race. Our country's facing an urgent crisis & the best opportunity we have to stop Trump is to flip this seat. Disrespect like this only makes us weaker. Let's remember who we're really fighting," U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Lakewood) wrote on X.
- "Quips about beating women do a disservice to both the serious topic of domestic violence & the important job of flipping this seat," former state Senate President Pro Tem Kerry Donovan posted on social media.
- "I'm appalled at this misogynistic behavior from my own party. This type of childish antics is what we expect from President Trump, not from Democrats," Broomfield City Council member Heidi Henkel wrote on X.
The other side: The event's organizers defended their actions.
- "That piñata was placed on a stool and symbolized the absence of a candidate who declined to attend," Maureen Maycheco, a vice president at Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) and COLOR Action Fund, told Axios Denver in a statement.
- "No one was harmed. No one was threatened."
Wynn Howell of Colorado Working Families Power, one of the event's moderators, doubled down on their opposition to Bird and declined to apologize in a statement.
- "Shannon Bird casts troubling votes and then dodges accountability when voters ask about them. If she truly believes in her record, she should stop missing opportunities to meet with voters," Howell said in the statement.
The bottom line: Murib urged Democrats to rein in the infighting and refocus on the general election.
- "We can campaign vigorously without imagery that invokes violence. We can express our differences without demeaning women. And we can have primaries without turning on one another. Democrats are strongest when we focus on defeating Republicans, not tearing each other down."