Third N.S. candidate withdraws because of old Internet postings
Inappropriate, sexist and homophobic language left lingering on the Internet has been exacting a toll on the list of political hopefuls in Nova Scotia’s election, with a third candidate forced to withdraw Tuesday.
The Tories sent out a terse news release Tuesday afternoon noting that its candidate for Dartmouth South,
Jad Cmogorac, was being dropped be- cause of her social media postings.
Her postings included an offcolour date rape joke.
The withdrawal came a day after CTV News published excerpts from the Bullpen website of Dartmouth East candidate Bill McEwen, a youthful prospect for the NDP in a riding that appeared to be a hard-fought contest.
The former military officer and journalist had attempted to take the website down after not posting on it since 2013, but someone managed to find it from a cached archive.
In addition to derogatory terms for gay people, the opening statement of the site’s mission noted, “in a world of breast implants, fast food and cheap beer, what’s not to love about being a man.”
McEwen submitted his resignation – though under election rules his name will still appear on the ballot, as will Cmogorac’s.
On Tuesday, each of the party leaders were discussing vetting procedures and longing for a world where people were more upfront about their social media activities when applying to run.