Sen. Royce Duplessis’ mayoral campaign is circulating a set of talking point for surrogates when speaking to the city’s Black community, which cast his key opponent, Council Vice President Helena Moreno as a “rich, corrupt, incompetent leader” responsible for city government’s dysfunction, according to a since-deleted section of his campaign site.
The talking points closely echo Duplessis’ own attacks on Moreno, which in turn have been the central theme of his campaign thus far in the mayor’s race.
For instance, the talking points include language arguing “we cannot trust the cities (sic) leadership under her for another 4 years,” and that Moreno “doesn’t have the vision or experience to be a strong mayor.”
A since-deleted screenshot that appeared on mayoral candidate Royce Duplessis’ campaign website
“Moreno has had seven years on the City Council to show up for this city, instead she hung back thinking the messier the city, the better argument she’d have for cleaning it up,” the campaign wrote in the talking points, which are listed specifically for use targeting Black voters.
The since-deleted page, which Duplessis’ campaign told Gambit is scheduled to be updated and reposted the evening of Sept. 15, also included talking points for introducing him as a “trusted leader [and] next generation politician that brings a fresh perspective to a corrupt and failed City Hall.” Those talking points also target Black voters, especially “Black voters under 50 and Black women.”
It is unclear when they were first added to the site, but they touched off a bit of an internet firestorm over the weekend, when pro-Moreno content creator JD Carrere discovered the page and accused the campaign of using a practice known as “red boxing.”
Campaign finance laws preclude candidates from coordinating with outside political action committees. However, campaigns have found a workaround to those prohibitions by publishing talking points, ad buy plans and other campaign planning documents on hard-to-find web pages that are technically public – though often hidden.
In this case, Duplessis’ talking points were linked at the bottom of main homepage below a list of media kit links, in slightly smaller font. The talking points targeting Black voters were outlined in red.
Tyronne Walker, a senior strategist on Duplessis’ campaign, told Gambit the talking points are designed for surrogates and “other media sources,” which is not a violation of campaign finance laws since candidates routinely provide materials to supporters who are appearing on television or the radio, or who are producing online content about the campaign.
A since-deleted screenshot that previously appeared on candidate Royce Duplessis’ mayoral campaign website.
“It’s incredibly common for candidates to have talking points for surrogates and other media sources,” he said. “Every day we are working to make crystal clear the comparison between the two candidates to any and all voters.”
Walker also said the campaign is “in the process of adding links and articles to all the statements and will be republishing the page this evening.”
Additionally, Walker said the page will include information about a lawsuit that has been filed by a church leader affiliated with Duplessis.
Pastor Emanuel Smith earlier this summer filed a lawsuit against Bill Hammack, who previously donated to Duplessis before switching his allegiance to Moreno.
Duplessis was accidentally copied on an email from Hammack to political operatives, which suggested that a Duplessis campaign affiliate had called Moreno a “white devil.”
The Duplessis camp has denied the allegations and has called it “race baiting fabrication and mistruth to stoke division and raise money for a PAC supporting Moreno.”
The Duplessis camp has also alleged that Hammack, who does not run the PAC, has been illegally coordinating between the PAC and Moreno’s campaign. The case is expected to be taken up by a judge Oct. 13, two days after the primary election.
