MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) - A state Senate candidate in Connecticut is facing criticism after sending out a campaign mailer that includes a drawing depicting his Jewish opponent with cash in his hands and a maniacal look on his face.
Steve Ginsburg, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of Connecticut, says the mailer from Republican Ed Charamut “suggests an age-old anti-Semitic trope.” Middletown state Rep. Matthew Lesser, the Democrat, says he finds it deeply upsetting.
Charamut says the mailer is not hateful and is meant to draw a contrast between his own fiscal conservatism and Lesser.
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The two are vying for the state Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Paul Doyle.
The ADL says the mailing comes amid a rise in reported anti-Semitic incidents, including Saturday’s shooting that left 11 people dead and six others wounded inside a Pittsburgh synagogue.
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