Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow deleted dozens of social media posts in which she endorsed the Black Lives Matter movement, praised athletes who protested the national anthem, expressed support for "trans women," and lauded her "girl" Hillary Clinton, archived copies of the posts reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon show.
In the posts, which have not been previously reported, McMorrow, currently a state senator, boasted of attending a BLM march in Lansing with her "entire staff … all in masks, #MaskUpMichigan" and said "white people … have to get uncomfortable" by "stepping in to #BlackLivesMatter." She dismissed protests of the national anthem as insignificant instances in which "someone won't stand for a song." And she said that the "future is female and inclusive" in a post that lauded "trans women" alongside "women," "girls," "gay women," and "non-binary people."
The removal of the social media posts appears to be an effort on McMorrow's part to scrub evidence of her support for left-wing causes that have lost popularity with the broader electorate. The Black Lives Matter movement led to rioting and looting in cities across the country, and Kamala Harris's support for taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries for California inmates was the subject of President Donald Trump's most damaging negative advertisement during the 2024 presidential campaign. McMorrow did not respond to a request for comment about why she tried to remove the posts from the Internet.
News of the deleted posts comes as McMorrow faces criticism for other controversial sentiments she posted to X and removed before running for Senate in a tight Democratic primary that includes congresswoman Haley Stevens and left-wing activist and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed. In one deleted tweet, McMorrow, who was born in New Jersey and lived in Los Angeles before moving to Michigan, said, "There are days like these that make me miss California even more," CNN reported. In others, she wrote, "I don't like you, Michigan," and, "I wish I never left California."
McMorrow has defended those posts as "normal" and a reflection of her "authenticity." The deletion of her BLM and "trans women" tweets could signal to Democratic primary voters that McMorrow lacks liberal bona fides as she runs against El-Sayed, a self-described "progressive" Democrat who is tied with McMorrow at 24 percent support, according to an Emerson College poll published in April.
In the summer of 2016, McMorrow expressed support for NFL football players who refused to stand during the renditions of the "Star-Spangled Banner" before their games. The protests were led by then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who said he wouldn't "show pride in a country that oppresses black people and people of color."
In one post in August 2016, McMorrow wrote that she was "Amazed by # of people who think 'PC culture' is killing the US, but are OUTRAGED that someone won't stand for a song."
In another 2016 post sent in response to a WIRED piece on "climate deniers," McMorrow wrote, "I just want to slap the country in the face sometimes."
In May 2020, after McMorrow was elected to the Michigan state senate, she also complained that Trump criticized athletes who kneeled during the national anthem, and claimed he was "openly calling for protesters to be shot" during the anti-police riots linked to the Black Lives Matter movement.
"The President raged against athletes kneeling during the national anthem. That wasn't an acceptable way to protest. He's never said what he considers 'acceptable,'" she wrote. "Black people are still being killed. Now he's openly calling for protesters to be shot."
McMorrow also backed the BLM protests, which spiraled into deadly and destructive riots in numerous cities, and said she was "proud" of her legislative staff for participating in them.
"Very proud of our legislative team for standing up for the lives of our Black friends, neighbors, and fellow Americans. Our entire staff joined the Lansing march today (all in masks, #MaskUpMichigan). Team McMorrow knows #BlackLivesMatter and stands ready to help make change," she wrote in June 2020.
McMorrow's comments came less than two weeks after anti-police demonstrators in Lansing assaulted police, looted stores, and burned and overturned cars, culminating in "thousands of dollars" in damage.
In another September 2020 post, McMorrow wrote about the "parallels between white people stepping in to #BlackLivesMatter vs. men stepping in to issues of #genderequity and harassment, why we have to get uncomfortable, and why now feels different."
In other deleted X posts, McMorrow seemed to embrace "establishment" Democrats over progressives. She expressed support for Hillary Clinton in several now-scrubbed comments, writing in October 2015: "Get it girl. I'd like to see more fired up Hillary. #yellwithbernie #DemDebate."
"Happy Birthday @HillaryClinton ! See ya (via your name on the ballot at my polling place) on Nov. 8th!" McMorrow wrote in another post in October 2016.
McMorrow's campaign has said she deleted all of her X posts prior to 2020, describing this as a "standard" move for political candidates.
