HARTFORD, Conn. _ Connecticut Democrats are calling on the Republican Party's leadership to "publicly condemn" a "racist" tweet from a prominent member of the Republican Party that refers to attorney general candidate and state representative William Tong as "Kim Jong Tong."
On Wednesday night, Republican Joe Visconti posted a photo of Rep. Tong that says "Kim Jong Tong For CT AG" and "#never" underneath.
A consultant for Tong's campaign said Tong has "battled hate and bigotry his entire life" and has "the strength and courage to fight for all of us."
"In Donald Trump's America, so many people in Connecticut have a target on their backs," consultant Mark Bergman said in a written statement. "This administration is going after women, people of color, immigrants, working people, even Connecticut taxpayers. And the number one play in their playbook is to attack people who are 'different' and to try to humiliate them."
State Republican Party chair JR Romano was not immediately available Friday. Visconti has run unsuccessfully for numerous offices, including Congress and governor. He is not an endorsed candidate of the Republican Party.
State Republican President Pro Tempore Len Fasano condemned the tweet, calling it "hateful rhetoric."
"Representative Tong was targeted by an irrelevant individual with a tweet that is ignorant, immature and irresponsible," Fasano said. "Connecticut residents want to hear about policies regarding real issues, not personal attacks. To inject such rhetoric distracts from the meaningful debates we should be having."
Visconti, a West Hartford resident, said Friday he made the comparison between Tong and Kim Jong Un after watching one of Tong's political ads. Visconti said after watching the ad, he felt that Tong will "weaponize the AG office" and attacked Trump in those ads, much like Kim Jong Un has attacked Trump.
"I compared him to someone of his own race," Visconti said. "I can't find racism there unless you want to look for it," he said. "It's Asian on Asian, I don't see it."
Democratic Party Chair Nick Balletto said he wants the state GOP party "to publicly condemn this disgusting language," saying it is not the first time Tong has been targeted by "thinly veiled racism."
"It's time for the Republican Party to show some spine and stand up to a member of their party," Balletto said in a press statement. "This is a disgusting, vile, and disrespectful tweet and no way to refer to a candidate who could make history in the state of Connecticut. ... The modern day Republican Party has descended into spreading racist language, but with Donald Trump as the leader of their party we can hardly be surprised."
Since Wednesday, several accounts have tweeted responses to Visconti's tweet, some calling it "disgraceful," "void of dignity, class, morals or ethics" and "deplorable."
Women's March CT said: "Racist filth. @CTGOP, got anything to say about this? We're waiting."
