Actress Stacey Dash filed federal paperwork Monday declaring her intent to run for the 44th Congressional District as a Republican during the June primary.
She has until March 9 to file paperwork with the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder and get her name on the June 5 primary ballot, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Critics or supporters of my Congressional run need to read my own words here. https://t.co/EEVsrcsEiF This is who I am. Read them all and know the person not the caricature created by the media.
— Stacey DASH (@staceydash) February 28, 2018
Dash, most known for her supporting role in the 1990s film “Clueless”, will face incumbent Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-San Pedro), in a district that votes overwhelmingly Democrat and is heavily populated by minorities. The district includes the communities of North Long Beach, Lynwood, Compton, South Gate and Carson.
Long Beach Vice Mayor Rex Richardson, who represents the northernmost part of the city in the Ninth District, said he’d rather see someone who understands the community’s needs run for office rather than someone who is unqualified and with a possible hidden agenda.
“I think the better question is why in a city as diverse and forward-thinking as Long Beach, why is there no African American woman in a single public office in our entire city—not a school board seat, not a college board seat, not the city council,” Richardson told the Post. “Unless we take women of color more seriously then folks like the Republican party will exploit that and try to run folks with hidden agendas, people who are unqualified to serve our community and don’t hold our best interest at heart.”
This is not the first time a conservative has run for a similar congressional seat in the county, said Richardson, who pointed to the 2010 race for the 37th District, which included communities like Compton, Carson and Long Beach. In that race, incumbent Laura Richardson won against Star Parker, a syndicated columnist and author who gained endorsements from conservatives like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich. Parker made headlines for her personal life story of rising from poverty, drug use and several abortions to eventually find religion, reject welfare, earn a college degree and start her own nonprofit.
Election 2010: Star Parker Concedes Bitter Congressional Race
Dash, an early and vocal Trump supporter, was a commentator for Fox News from 2014 – 2016 and released a book, “There Goes My Social Life: From Clueless to Conservative” in 2016, in which she claimed she was ostracized in largely-liberal Hollywood for her conservative beliefs. She has also called for an end to Black History Month.
“We all have work to do here to make sure that we are cultivating the next generation of leaders and that we make sure that black women and all groups have an opportunity to represent—to elect people to represent their interests,” Richardson said. “Our issues won’t be resolved electing saviors out of Hollywood and so […] if she chooses to run, I will be respectful, however, I can’t support the type of politics that Stacey Dash represents.”
Featured photo taken from Stacey Dash’s official Facebook page.