Twenty-three local and regional community leaders wrote a letter to California Democratic congressional candidate Jay Chen calling on him to apologize for commenting on the accent of Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Calif.
The letter led by Steel’s California Republican colleague Rep. Young Kim was sent Monday amid a race that is getting more heated as November draws closer.
“I’ve dealt with racist attacks my whole life, but it won’t stop me from proudly sharing my voice,” Steel said in a press release. “Like so many immigrants, my accent is my story and my opponent’s attacks are offensive to all immigrants.”
The leaders wrote in their letter that, as immigrants and descendants of immigrants, they were “deeply hurt” by Chen’s “recent comment mocking the accent of Congresswoman Michelle Steel.”
Chen, a Democrat running against Steel, made headlines after Fox News Digital reported on a video of him speaking at an April 7 meet and greet in the Congregation B’nai Tzedek synagogue in Fountain Valley, California, where he made the comments about Steel’s accent.
