MO: Candidate Burns Books

Well, the Missouri Secretary of State race is certainly heating up (ba-dum-bum). There are four GOP candidates hoping to take over the spot vacated by Jay Ashcroft. One is a 24 year old former swimmer, and she made a splash on the dead bird app

When I’m Secretary of State, I will 🔥BURN🔥all books that are grooming, indoctrinating, and sexualizing our children. MAGA. America First🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/m8waKi3yhP

— Valentina Gomez (@ValentinaForSOS) February 6, 2024

Just in case the post I've embedded goes away, the caption shows Valentina Gomez declaring that she will burn "all books that are grooming, indoctrinating, and sexualizing our children. MAGA. America First." And in the video, she takes out her flamethrower and does just that. 

Gomez (whose campaign site appears to have some formatting problems) bills herself as a woman on a mission, aiming to defeat the political machine. Here's her intro to herself:

Valentina is a real estate investor, financier, strategist, former NCAA Division I swimmer, relentless achiever, and a fierce advocate for the principles values we hold dear as Americans battling for a better future.

Valentina’s family immigrated to the United States in search of the promises that resonate in its very foundation: safety, progress, and hope. Valentina’s life is a testament of perseverance. Her success was not inherited, it has and continues to be earned through discipline and determination.

The fallacy that only age equates to wisdom is debunked by Valentina’s results. At just 24, and anchored by a combination of tangible accomplishments and intangible qualities. Valentina is a woman of intellect and agility who possesses the highest educational qualifications amongst all candidates having earned an MBA in Finance and Strategy from Tulane University at 22; is responsible for the investment of millions of dollars for business development, and now battling a corrupt political machine with the mission to awaken and unify the people of Missouri against an emergent future filled with darkness and disparity if change is not enacted.

All that and a flamethrower, too. 

Folks pushing reading restrictions often argue that they are not banning books, and I guess we can all agree that Gomez is not banning books--just promising to burn them. She's going viral and getting the attention she clearly hoped to get; here's hoping that the attention brings her the defeat she so richly deserves.