‘Electrify the wall.’ Kansas Republican’s ad spurs backlash from immigrant rights groups
Republican Senate candidate Bob Hamilton says he’s joking when he talks about electrifying “the wall” in a campaign ad, but immigrant rights activists aren’t amused.
In a television spot that trades on his background as a former plumbing and air conditioning contractor, Hamilton stands next to a large fan and declares himself President Donald’s Trump “biggest fan” among other visual gags.
But toward the end of the spot, Hamilton stands at a fuse box and says he’ll “Electrify the wall,” a clear reference to the proposed border wall that Trump has pledged to build and the electrocution of illegal immigrants.
“Quit crying liberals. It’s just a joke,” Hamilton immediately adds.
“It’s really disgusting,” said Alex Martinez, a member of leadership team of the Kansas/Missouri Dream Alliance, which advocates for undocumented families in the Kansas City area.
“We shouldn’t put someone like that in office,” Martinez said. “To joke about electrifying the wall to harm people — because that’s what he’s alluding to: harming people and potentially killing people. And even if this is joke, no one’s laughing but him.”
Martinez, 29, crossed the border illegally as 14-year-old and has been in the Kansas City area for roughly 15 years to attend school and work.
“When I crossed the border I was 14-years-old, so I don’t know if you can imagine a 14-year-old being electrocuted or even a baby,” he said, regarding Hamilton’s ad.
Frank Sharry, the executive director of America’s Voice, a national progressive organization advocates for immigrant rights, noted that Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King has long proposed to build an electrified border wall.
“And he got drummed out of Congress by the Republican Party,” Sharry said, noting King’s defeat in last month’s Iowa primary after years of racist comments.
Trump also discussed with aides the possibility of electrifying the proposed wall— as well as adding flesh-piercing spikes and an alligator moat—according to a 2019 report from the New York Times. He also erroneously claimed that the existing border barriers were already electrified during a Fox News appearance.
Sharry’s organization has flagged as anti-immigrant several ads from GOP candidates competing for Kansas’ open Senate seat.
“Kansas has a significant immigrant and refugee population that is well-integrated into the state. The idea that the way to win in Kansas is to be a hardliner against all immigrants… I just think they’re following Trump and each other over the cliff,” Sharry said. “The country is so sick of the divisiveness and racial incitement and pitting white people against people of color.”
Casey Burns, a spokeswoman for Hamilton, dismissed concerns about the spot. “As the ad says, ‘Quit crying liberals, it’s just a joke.’”
Hamilton, a multimillionaire and political newcomer, has run a campaign strategy heavily focused on television ads as he seeks to establish his conservative credentials in a race that includes Rep. Roger Marshall, the congressman who represents western Kansas, and former Secretary of State Kris Kobach, the party’s 2018 nominee for governor.
Sharry said Hamilton is trying to employ a similar strategy to Trump and “wink at you when I say outrageous things and pretend it’s a joke when it’s not.”
Sharry has been a longtime critic of Kobach, who has championed stronger restrictions on both illegal and legal immigration throughout his career.
“At a time of racial reckoning, Bob (Hamilton) is going to electrify the fence and Kris Kobach is going to prevent Chinese from crossing the southern border? It’s stunning,” Sharry said, noting one of Kobach’s ads focused on Chinese immigration.
Kobach promoted his role in an effort to build a border wall through private funds during an appearance on Fox Business Tuesday.
Martinez said Kobach’s opponents are trying to imitate his hardline stance on immigration ahead of the primary.
“They just want to say, ‘I’m crazier. I’m less humane. I’m more anti-immigrant. I’m more like Trump than Kobach is,’” he said.
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 1:56 PM with the headline "‘Electrify the wall.’ Kansas Republican’s ad spurs backlash from immigrant rights groups."
