A campaign website for a Democratic candidate running for the US House of Representatives temporarily vanished from the internet on Thursday afternoon following an embarrassing revelation.
Endorsement Page Error Sparks Controversy
Esther Kim Varet, an art dealer campaigning for a House seat in California next year, promoted an endorsement from progressive figure Jasmine Crockett. However, a significant error was made: the photograph placed next to Crockett's name was not of the Texas congresswoman, who is now running for Senate, but of another Black woman.
Christian Martinez, press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), swiftly condemned the move on social media platform X. He labelled it 'Racist. Arrogant' and 'totally out of touch'. Martinez added, 'Good thing @estherkimvaret's hate-filled, bigoted self isn't getting anywhere near Congress.'
Campaign Response and Technical Explanation
The mistake was first identified by Bryan Metzger, a senior politics reporter at Business Insider, who posted about it on X. Varet's campaign team responded to Metzger, thanking him for highlighting the error.
In a statement, the campaign explained the blunder: 'A campaign team member accidentally published an incomplete update to the Endorsements page'. They further noted that their content management system (CMS) automatically uses a specific headshot as a default placeholder for each new endorsement block until a custom image is uploaded.
Financial Landscape and Political Context
Despite the misstep, Kim Varet's campaign has demonstrated notable fundraising strength. Following the release of third-quarter totals, her campaign reported over $1.2 million in cash on hand at the end of September.
The candidate had previously received public support from Congresswoman Crockett. In May, during a critique of former President Donald Trump, Crockett urged her followers on X to vote for 'REAL representation like @estherkimvaret'.
Looking ahead, Kim Varet will face either Republican incumbent Representative Young Kim or Representative Ken Calvert in the general election, depending on the final shape of California's redistricted map. Both Republican incumbents currently hold financial advantages over Varet.
