A U.S. Senator from Arizona is facing scrutiny following the leak of private text messages containing critical remarks about the appearance and culture of his own political party.
The messages, exchanged with a friend, included a disparaging meme about a Democratic congresswoman, to which the senator replied, “They aren’t wrong!” In subsequent texts, he lamented that the party no longer seemed like “the fun party,” adding, “Now Dem women look like Dem men and Dem men look like women.”
When confronted by local media, the senator did not dispute the authenticity of the communications. Instead, he expressed disappointment that a long-time friend had chosen to release them, calling the situation “heartbreaking.”
He defended the underlying sentiment of his criticism, framing it as part of a longstanding argument that the party needs to become more open and inclusive. “We should be the party that takes everybody in,” he stated, asserting that the Democratic Party is currently “not as inclusive as it should be” and risks excluding people.
The incident has ignited a conversation about internal party dynamics, image, and the boundaries of private political discourse.
