Kimberley Paige Barnette: Charlotte Mayoral Candidate Slammed For Listing ‘White’ As Qualification
The Facebook profile of Kimberley Paige Barnette, one of Charlotte’s Republican candidates for mayor, has been garnering a lot of attention in recent days. And it’s because she listed the fact that she’s white as one of her qualifications for the job.
Although the post has been deleted, Barnette, 53, reportedly updated her Facebook profile to state that people should vote for her because she is “Republican and smart, white, (and) traditional.” The Huffington Post and other publications were able to grab screenshots of Barnette’s Facebook profile at the time she had the controversial qualifications listed.
As noted by WBTV, Kimberley Paige Barnette’s participation in the Charlotte mayoral primaries marks her first attempt to run for office. She was also described as a “distant long-shot” in the Republican primary, which also has city council member Kenny Smith and businessman Gary Dunn as the other two candidates. Prior to her participation in the primaries, Barnette had previously served as a Mecklenburg County magistrate.
Following her recent profile update, Barnette received flak from Facebook users, including one who said that she is “not doing conservatives or Republicans any favors.” This was followed by an official statement from North Carolina GOP Chairman Robin Hayes, who condemned the content of Barnette’s profile introduction, and stressed that the results of the Charlotte mayoral race should be based on a candidate’s ability to serve the city, and not their race.
“This contest will not be decided based on the skin color (of) the candidates. Any suggestion that a candidate is more or less qualified for political office based on their skin color alone, is offensive to North Carolina Republicans and we condemn it. This type of suggestion has no place in our public discourse.”
https://twitter.com/CarbonatedTV/status/905330045920608257
Prior to Hayes’ statement, Kimberley Paige Barnette issued her own statement commenting on what she placed on her Facebook profile a few days prior. On Sunday, she told Carolina LGBTQ-centric site QNotes that she was simply trying to identify herself for who she is, and not trying to make any kind of racist or prejudiced statement.
“I’m not prejudice [sic]. I do not judge other people. Other people judge me. What is the difference? I say I’m white. Others describe themselves as example transgenders. Are they labeling themselves? I’m also a divorced mother of two adult children. I accept others as who they are. I have traditional conservative views when it comes to family and friendships.”
As of Tuesday, Barnette appeared to have shut down her Facebook account, QNotes added.
Kimberley Paige Barnette wants you to know she's White, is opposed to LGBT rights, and doesn't want more… https://t.co/KAOKoZvrg0
— The Pink Panthers (@The_PPM) September 1, 2017
In addition to the inclusion of her race as a qualification for the mayoral job, Facebook users were critical of Barnette’s previous assertion that Charlotte should not encourage low-income people from coming to the city. Instead, she was quoted as saying the city should attract “higher-income people.”
According to QNotes’ report, Kimberley Paige Barnette is also opposed to Charlotte’s controversial LGBTQ anti-discrimination ordinance. She had stated in a recent debate that she is opposed to the idea of transgender individuals being allowed to use the bathroom that corresponds to the gender they identify with. While she entertained the idea that transgender people have a separate restroom they could use, she maintained that she is opposed to such a suggestion in any way, shape, or form.
“As a magistrate, I issued processes on persons that were in the bathroom, males that were in the bathroom, and you never know what they are, and they scare children, quite frankly.”
[Featured Image by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images]
