Rishi Kumar's Campaign Under Fire for Profanity-Laced Texts to Elected Official
A heated exchange between a Santa Clara County Assessor candidate and an elected official has highlighted the growing trend of unprofessional behavior in politics. Rishi Kumar, who is vying for the seat left vacant by longtime Assessor Larry Stone, allegedly sent profanity-laden texts to Sunnyvale City Councilmember Richard Mehlinger after Mehlinger publicly expressed his opposition to Kumar's campaign.
Mehlinger, a vocal supporter of Los Altos Vice Mayor Neysa Fligor, had endorsed Fligor over Kumar earlier in the campaign. However, when he received a text message from Kumar's campaign team promising to "put money back" into voters' pockets if elected, Mehlinger responded with his own scathing criticism, labeling Kumar as "not fit to be dogcatcher."
In response, Kumar's campaign allegedly shot back with a string of profanities and personal attacks, including calling Mehlinger a "pathetic weasel." The exchange has left many wondering about the level of professionalism displayed by campaigns and elected officials.
"It shows the caliber of the campaign he's running," Mehlinger said in an interview. However, others are questioning Kumar's team for their handling of the situation, with Menlo College political science professor Melissa Michelson saying that the use of profanity-laden texts is "not what you would expect from a professional campaign."
Michelson added that relying on volunteers who might not be adequately trained could lead to misrepresentation of candidates or failure to follow script. The incident has sparked concerns about the growing trend of unprofessional behavior in politics, with some arguing that it sets a bad precedent.
"It doesn't seem appropriate to be using that kind of tone and language with people who are supposed to be your voters," said Elise Lester, a Silicon Valley Young Democrats vice president who received similar profanity-laced texts from Kumar's campaign. "We shouldn't be rage baiting our way into office."
Kumar has since launched an investigation into the matter, but his response to the situation remains unclear. The incident raises questions about accountability and professionalism in politics, particularly during a time of deepening political polarization.
A heated exchange between a Santa Clara County Assessor candidate and an elected official has highlighted the growing trend of unprofessional behavior in politics. Rishi Kumar, who is vying for the seat left vacant by longtime Assessor Larry Stone, allegedly sent profanity-laden texts to Sunnyvale City Councilmember Richard Mehlinger after Mehlinger publicly expressed his opposition to Kumar's campaign.
Mehlinger, a vocal supporter of Los Altos Vice Mayor Neysa Fligor, had endorsed Fligor over Kumar earlier in the campaign. However, when he received a text message from Kumar's campaign team promising to "put money back" into voters' pockets if elected, Mehlinger responded with his own scathing criticism, labeling Kumar as "not fit to be dogcatcher."
In response, Kumar's campaign allegedly shot back with a string of profanities and personal attacks, including calling Mehlinger a "pathetic weasel." The exchange has left many wondering about the level of professionalism displayed by campaigns and elected officials.
"It shows the caliber of the campaign he's running," Mehlinger said in an interview. However, others are questioning Kumar's team for their handling of the situation, with Menlo College political science professor Melissa Michelson saying that the use of profanity-laden texts is "not what you would expect from a professional campaign."
Michelson added that relying on volunteers who might not be adequately trained could lead to misrepresentation of candidates or failure to follow script. The incident has sparked concerns about the growing trend of unprofessional behavior in politics, with some arguing that it sets a bad precedent.
"It doesn't seem appropriate to be using that kind of tone and language with people who are supposed to be your voters," said Elise Lester, a Silicon Valley Young Democrats vice president who received similar profanity-laced texts from Kumar's campaign. "We shouldn't be rage baiting our way into office."
Kumar has since launched an investigation into the matter, but his response to the situation remains unclear. The incident raises questions about accountability and professionalism in politics, particularly during a time of deepening political polarization.
he was just trying to stand up for himself. if Mehlinger's gonna throw shade, he can't expect Kumar to be all smiles and rainbows 
campaigns are about winning, not being sugarcoated. but at the same time, i get where Michelson and Lester are coming from - we're in a super polarized era, and this kind of behavior doesn't help. it's all about context... was it really necessary to call Mehlinger a "pathetic weasel"? 
rishi kumar needs to get his act together and take responsibility for his campaign's actions. sending profanity laced texts to an elected official is just lowkey unacceptable - even if you disagree with them. its just basic manners people! 
It's not even like Mehlinger was being personal or anything, he was just expressing his opinion. And now Kumar's trying to play the victim and start an investigation? 
The whole thing reeks of desperation and a complete lack of accountability. It's no wonder people are cynical about politics anymore 
. And what really gets me is that these campaigns are basically saying "we're not above the law" by doing this kind of thing and then investigating themselves. It's like, come on guys, take responsibility for your actions! 
. It would be good if there was some accountability for when things get out of hand 
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. gotta be better than that.
Stats say 82% of voters trust politicians who show respect in public communication 
Meanwhile, a recent survey found that 75% of Americans are disheartened by the lack of civility in politics 
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i'm surprised elise lester was willing to share her experience with profanity-laced texts but kudos to her for speaking out and demanding better from campaigns like kumars 
Sending profanity-laced texts to an elected official? That's just unprofessional and rude. It's not the first time I've seen this happen, but it's definitely not okay. 
We need more civility and respect in our politics, especially from people who are supposed to be leaders.
kumar's team is all like "oh no we didn't send those texts" but like, how come they got caught in the first place? 
and now they're investigating themselves? lol not gonna lie, i'm shook by melissa michelson's comments - it's so true that untrained volunteers can lead to a lot of missteps