Republican politics in Illinois turned ugly this week as a local party official likened congressional candidate Erika Harold – former Miss America of 2003 –to a "street walker" in a public letter.
Montgomery County Chairman Joe Allen mocked the 33-year-old Harold for her Miss America platform that called for abstinence and an end to school bullying.
"The little queen touts her abstinence, and she won the crown because she got bullied in school — boohoo, kids are cruel, life sucks and you move on," Allen wrote. "Now, Miss Queen is being used like a street walker, and her pimps are the DEMOCRAT PARTY and RINO REPUBLICANS."
Harold is challenging freshman Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois next year in the Republican primary.
Within hours of Allen's words becoming public, Davis told reporters that the county chairman's words were "appalling" and called on him to resign his party post.
"It is imperative that as Republicans, we work together instead of tearing each other down," said Davis. "We aren't going to agree on everything, but we must stop the infighting and focus on building a strong party."
Allen later apologized for his remarks.
Harold is a Harvard Law graduate, and a strong conservative. Along with being a fiscal conservative, she is a strong Christian and pro-life.
The editor of Republican News Watch, Doug Ibendahl, wrote that Allen's words were a reason "why we as Republicans fail to gain any respect from minority voters."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax.
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