Alexis Martinez Johnson, a Hispanic Republican running to represent New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District in the House, is accusing her Democratic opponent of “whitewashing” her name in a recent campaign ad.
The ad from Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez’s campaign fails to use Johnson’s full name and only refers to her as “Alexis Johnson” as it accuses the Republican of “lying about” Fernandez in one of the tightest House races this midterm cycle.
“Alexis Johnson already got caught lying about Teresa Leger Fernandez, so it’s no surprise she’s doing it again,” the ad’s narrator claimed. “New Mexico can’t trust Alexis Johnson in Congress.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Johnson said the “whitewashing” of her name in the ad is “offensive and disgusting” and pointed to it as being one of the reasons why the GOP “will win back the House this year.”
“When Hispanic women decide they are not willing to vote Democratic anymore, the radical left becomes unhinged,” Johnson said. “They call us breakfast tacos, ‘Miss Frijoles,’ and now they’ve stooped to whitewashing my proud Hispanic heritage out of desperation. It’s offensive and disgusting, and this is why Republicans will win back the House this year. The Hispanic community is sick and tired of being used and sold out year after year.”
Johnson also took aim at Fernandez and the Democratic Party in a tweet, calling out the “racist attack TV ad intentionally whitewashing” her name in the largely Hispanic district.
“On the ballot, my name reads Alexis Martinez Johnson,” Johnson wrote in a separate tweet, adding that she is “proud of my name and of my heritage.”
“When a Hispanic woman doesn’t fit the Democrat’s narrative, they try and take Hispanic from me,” Johnson added.
Alexis Martinez Johnson, the Republican nominee for Congress in New Mexico’s 3rd District, is running against incumbent Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez.
(Alexis Martinez Johnson campaign)
Other Hispanic candidates in congressional races, including Texas GOP Rep. Mayra Flores, defended Johnson on social media after the Fernandez ad’s contents were made public.
“Dems doing same racist stuff against my friend,” Flores wrote in a tweet.
Flores’ defense of Johnson comes after Fox News reported this week that her Democratic opponent, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, used a doctored photo of her for one of his own campaign ads.
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington on July 28, 2022.
(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images)
In addition to Flores, Tina Ramirez, a Republican running to represent Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, also defended Johnson, calling the ad “disgusting.”
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“This is disgusting,” Ramirez wrote in a tweet, further claiming that Democrats are attempting to “disguise” Johnson’s heritage because “it doesn’t fit their narrative.”
“This is exactly why more & more Hispanics are leaving the Democratic Party,” Ramirez added.
Johnson and Fernandez will face off in less than four weeks when the state holds its midterm elections on Nov. 8.
Fox News Digital did not receive an immediate response from the Fernandez campaign when asked about the use of Johnson’s name in the ad.
