A recent story highlighting an insider strategy call of Sara Nelson’s campaign made headlines in The Stranger for the incumbent's cynical comments on the threat of President Donald Trump. But the call highlighted another part of Nelson’s strategy—her plan to try and overcome her 23-point primary election loss by painting her challenger, Dionne Foster as “inexperienced and unqualified.” We’ve seen that strategy play out in debates recently with Nelson claiming Foster would need “training wheels.”

That claim is not only false—it is disrespectful. It is disrespectful for an elected official to dismiss and deny a highly qualified woman of color’s experience, particularly one as deep and substantive as Dionne Foster’s.

As state elected officials, nonprofit leaders, and labor leaders we have w

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