Articles on Madison Patch and in Politico have revealed a deliberate attempt by Congressional candidate Rosemary Becchi to intimidate a local Madison resident for his comments on her campaign’s social media accounts. These actions are both a threat to the 1st amendment that protects freedom of speech and also an unsettling insight into the character of Mikie Sherrill’s challenger in the 11th District. In a week that will see four debates between the two competitors, Ms. Becchi seems unable to handle fact-checking and challenges to her campaign’s sometimes wild accusations against Mikie Sherrill.
“Over the course of her campaign, despite fact checking, her campaign repeatedly posted the same lies over and over again,” he said. “So, in the hope of having a well-informed voting population, I continued to comment and point to source material to set the record straight.” David Steketee, Madison Patch
Ms. Becchi wrote to Mr. Steketee’s employer from her law firm email address and filed an ethics complaint that called his actions “stalking”. Mr. Steketee’s employer dismissed these accusations as unfounded after a thorough investigation. If these heavy-handed tactics sound familiar, it’s because they are. Some may remember in 2017 when former Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen sent a fundraising letter calling out Saily Avelenda in her workplace. Saily is now executive director of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee.
Steketee called Becchi’s actions “akin to a SLAPP lawsuit which is solely intended to intimidate a member of the public and deter participation in constitutionally protected political speech.” — Politico
The Madison Democratic Committee stands firmly behind freedom of speech protections and supports the right, even obligation, of all to speak up and participate in the democratic process.
You can read both of these articles which provide more detail here:
NJ Congressional Candidate Contacts Critic’s Employer, Madison Patch
Congressional candidate contacts employer of online critic, Politico