Missouri Democrats are pouncing on GOP Senate candidate Sarah Steelman’s comment Tuesday on St. Louis public radio that the Violence Against Women Act, a version of which was reauthorized by the Senate last week, was a distraction hatched by Democrats to avoid tackling real issues like the budget.
Steelman was defending herself from comments she made in which she admitted being unfamiliar with the VAWA. “I’m not sure what that is because I’m not serving right now,” Steelman said.
Caitlin Legacki, Missouri Democratic Party spokeswoman, points out that Steelman still hasn’t taken a position on VAWA. “Sarah Steelman’s had nearly two weeks to figure out whether she supports bipartisan efforts to end domestic violence against women and families,” Legacki said in a press release.
On Tuesday, Steelman said the question she received about the law was too vague.
“I think that’s typical Democratic spin and they’re just trying to catch you,” Steelman said. “The guy in the video came up to me and made very little reference to what he was even talking about. But of course I want to end violence against women. I think it’s unfortunate that the Democrats have made a political football out of this thing, which I think is what they keep doing to distract from the real problems that are facing our nation.”
