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Chelsea Nguyen, a candidate for Menlo Park’s District 3 seat, said she has received two messages through her campaign website that contain profanity, insults and vague threats this week.
The emails, which she shared with The Almanac, but asked not be published because of their vulgarity, came from the anonymous accounts “whore@whore.com” and “Chelsea c—“.
The messages, sent on Sept. 28 and 30, came through a form on her website that invites community members to contact Nguyen about her campaign. She said she did not know who wrote them or if they are affiliated with a particular candidate or campaign.
“Just wait and see what is coming to you,” said one message. “We will blow you away election day you dirty c—.”
“I am not afraid of these people who are harassing me,” Nguyen said. “I don’t want this issue to be distracting. I want to be the voice for working families.”
She added on her campaign blog: “I am not someone you can bully. You are messing with the wrong person. Win or lose, I will not play dirty like you do.”
The other candidates competing for the open seat representing District 3 are professional triathlete and small business owner Max Fennell and community advocate Jen Wolosin. The voting district includes a section of Menlo Park bounded between Palo Alto and Atherton, stretching southwest to Crane Street and northeast to the VA property off of Willow Road.
Chelsea – Thank you for reporting and publicizing the messages. It must not have been a fun choice. Let’s all hope the intent behind them stops with the mean words and nothing more. Thank you also for serving your community by running for office.
Chelsea, thank you for participating and running for office in our local community . It saddens me to see that trolling and bullying insults have infected our small town in this way as well. I am very sorry you have had to deal with this, and am glad you brought it to the attention of the public. That behavior is unacceptable, pure and simple.
As these messages seem to be threatening have you reported them to the police and are they investigating? If not you really need to, there is no place in politics, let along Menlo Park for this kind of behavior.
These hateful, anonymous attacks are deeply disturbing. There is no place for this type of behavior in our community. Wishing Chelsea and her family well.
I was shocked at how low some people are going to try to intimidate Chelsea. Those letters, coming so close to last night’s debate, would have had an impact on Chelsea. How unfair. Threats and bullying should have no place in Menlo Park campaigns for elected office. I too urge Chelsea to file a police report as perhaps the senders may be identified. Also disappointed to hear that candidate Max got a call suggesting that he drop out of the race. What is next? A brick through someone’s window?
So sorry you were exposed to this, and please do report it to the police. this may discourage others from doing the same in the future.
Does anyone know who called Max and discouraged him from running for City Council and suggested that he drop out of the race? Was that a person with any standing in the City whose asking could feel intimidating? Was the person supporting one of the other campaigns?
The harrassment Chelsea has had to endure is despicable.
It’s really disgusting that people feel the need to discourage and harrass the two people of color who are running for office in District 3.
I want to join this long list of people who are outraged and who offer you encouragement. Thank you for having the courage to run for office and SHAME on the person who would try to disparage you or your candidacy. Please know that for every person who writes a positive post here, there are 100’s more who agree.
I recall many anonymous hit pieces distributed through the mail during previous local elections, a very ugly tradition. The mailers were organized efforts. The source of the harassing messages reported by the District 3 candidates may not be other candidates but random trolls. Either way, anonymous badmouthing is no way to engage in politics. Good on anyone who honestly runs for office.