Fox News depicted this voter as a typical Democrat — but she’s really an anti-vax activist

07 December 2023

After airing Sean Hannity's townhall with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, December 5, Fox News discussed the event with a panel of six voters the following day on "Fox and Friends." One of the voters was Stamford, Connecticut resident Stephanie Edmonds, who was depicted as the panel's sole Democratic voter.

Fox News' Ainsley Earhardt told Edmonds, "I know you're a Democrat," and a graphic described her as a "Democrat voter." But according to the Daily Beast's Justin Baragona and Media Matters' Eric Kleefeld, Fox News' characterization of Edmonds was misleading — as she's an anti-vax activist who has said that Democratic candidates "are an automatic no-no for me."

Edmonds, Baragona notes, has registered as a Democrat because Stamford is dominated by the Democratic Party. But ideologically, according to Baragona, she is more of a libertarian and calls herself "politically homeless."

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?

"Edmonds, who lost her teaching job in New York City for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, has made several media appearances to discuss her anti-vaccine activism," Baragona observes. "Additionally, she has been very vocal on social media about her overt criticism of the Democratic Party. Tweeting that she only first registered as a Democrat in 2020 in order to support former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's unsuccessful presidential primary bid, Edmonds then praised Gabbard for 'joining the Unaffiliated with me' when the ex-congresswoman left the Democratic Party."

Baragona adds, "She's also said she's 'NEVER voted' for a GOP or Democratic presidential candidate, that 'Democrats are an automatic no-no for me,' and that she would be 'voting down ballot Republican' during the 2022 midterm elections."

In Media Matters, Kleefeld writes, "Edmonds has every right to voice her own opinions, of course. But for Fox to present her as a 'Democrat voter' whose pronouncements generally reflect Democratic voters seems disingenuous. Edmonds has, in fact, described herself as 'politically homeless,' and she seems to have registered with the Democratic Party simply in order to vote in local primary elections in a heavily Democratic area."

Read the Daily Beast's report at this link (subscription required) and Media Matters' analysis here.

From Your Site Articles