EMILYs List Statement on Shocking and Vile Comments Made by Rep. Brian Mast

For Immediate Release
August 26, 2020

EMILYs List Statement on Shocking and Vile Comments Made by Rep. Brian Mast 

WASHINGTON, D.C — Yesterday, the Sun Sentinel released a shocking report of Rep. Brian Mast’s (FL-18) offensive and disturbing social media posts in which he jokes about rape and sex with underage girls. In response, Karen Defilippi, vice president of federal and gubernatorial campaigns at EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, released the following statement:
 
“Comments like Rep. Mast’s are not made purely in jest, they come from the deep-seated misogyny that plagues the Republican Party today. These comments are shocking, vile, and inexcusable, but they are not the only time Rep. Mast, who voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, has deeply disrespected the women and girls he was elected to represent. Brian Mast's behavior shows he is unfit to serve in Congress and we look forward to helping elect Pam Keith in November.”
 
EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $600 million to elect pro-choice Democratic women candidates. With a grassroots community of over five million members, EMILY's List helps Democratic women win competitive campaigns – across the country and up and down the ballot – by recruiting and training candidates, supporting strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 150 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 16 governors, and nearly 1,100 women to state and local office. Nearly 40 percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. During the historic 2017-2018 cycle, EMILYs List raised a record-breaking $110 million and launched a record independent expenditure campaign. We helped elect 34 new women to the House, including 24 red-to-blue victories; enough seats to have delivered the U.S. House majority alone. Since the 2016 election, more than 55,000 women have reached out to EMILY's List about running for office laying the groundwork for the next decade of candidates for local, state, and national offices.