Sara Jacobs apologized Thursday after Cosmopolitan reported the Democratic House candidate said she was not a "crusty old Marine" unlike one of her primary opponents.
Cosmo profiled 29-year-old Jacobs, who the magazine noted "Could Be the Youngest Congresswoman Ever." Jacobs is running for the seat that will be vacated by Rep. Darrel Issa (R., Calif.) after he announced his retirement in January.
While mostly a positive profile, Cosmo wrote that Jacobs "seems generally unencumbered by the idea of 'how a congressperson should act,'" a quality that occasionally leading to snafus on the campaign trail.
"When she’s asked about how she’ll fare with the district’s large military population — especially given that one of her opponents, Doug Applegate, is a retired Marine colonel — her candor makes for an awkward moment," Cosmo reported. "'It's true, she says, 'I'm not a crusty old Marine.' The group is mostly silent."
After the profile was published, Jacobs took to Facebook to claim she was taken out of context.
"I want to make it clear -- this had nothing to do with Colonel Applegate, he was never mentioned, and I have nothing but respect for his military service. The comment was in response to a Marine who jokingly referred to himself that way first," she wrote.
"I called Colonel Applegate to make sure he knew this wasn't about him," she continued. "I apologize to any Marines or other members of the military who this offended. That was never my intention."