Normally, St. Louis voters can count on bombastic Republican politicians coming from far flung parts of Missouri (who’s even heard of Ash Valley?) or at least as far as St. Charles County.
The latest GOP book burner, though, is a city resident.
Valentina Gomez, a candidate for Missouri Secretary of State, went viral yesterday after she posted a video of herself using a homemade flamethrower to incinerate two library books with queer themes outside the Springfield-Greene County library.
“When I’m Secretary of State, I will BURN all books that are grooming, indoctrinating, and sexualizing our children. MAGA. America First,” Gomez wrote. The use of the term "grooming" has been historically used by politicians to demean the LGBTQ+ community and to hurl false stereotypes of inappropriate behavior. It pushes a narrative that queer people attempt to “recruit” children.
And while that rhetoric may be par for the course for Republicans running for statewide office, it’s certainly more unusual in Benton Park, where Gomez owns a home.
Gomez did not respond to a request to interview with RFT.
The Springfield video, which ends with Gomez wearing a tactical vest and holding a rifle, can be viewed here (warning: graphic language). Gomez was censored and deleted for the video on Instagram, she wrote on X (previously Twitter) today.
Just got censored, and deleted on @instagram
— Valentina Gomez (@ValentinaForSOS) February 8, 2024
I will say it again. There’s three things I trust:
1. The Bible
2. X, thank you @elonmusk
3. My AR-15
America First🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/PjpGBqqPA5
Gomez has also posted a video on X firing a crossbow at a printer with a piece of paper taped to it that said “printing votes x87 million.”
She's running on a conservative platform that promises to remove all electronic voting machines and that pledges to end DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) efforts in libraries. Her website also expresses her beliefs about the transgender community and claims there are “only two genders.” (Curiously, in a state entirely controlled by conservative Republicans, she’s also running on a throw-the-bums-out platform, writing, "Our draconian leadership has been purchased and it is time to remove each one of them from office.")
In addition to Gomez’s hateful rhetoric directed at the LGBTQ community, she has espoused nonsense about immigrants and the Black community. She attacked Cori Bush, DA candidate Fani Willis from Georgia, and New York Attorney General Letitia James in a video on X on Jan. 30 stating they should “unite their Black cards to get away with crime.”
Gomez’s website, Linked-In and social media platforms show that she’s 24 years old, works in finance and strategy at Nestlé Purina and prides herself on her “MAGA” and “America First” mentality.
Purina did not respond directly to our question asking whether the book burning incident was being investigated or if Gomez would face any professional repercussions for her illegal actions. The company did say, however, “Ms. Gomez does not speak for Purina with her words and actions. The behavior in this video runs counter to the expectations we have for our employees.”
Gomez touts her age as a badge of honor, stating on her website:
“Valentina is a woman of intellect and agility who possesses the highest educational qualifications amongst all candidates having earned an MBA in Finance and Strategy from Tulane University at 22; is responsible for the investment of millions of dollars for business development, and now battling a corrupt political machine with the mission to awaken and unify the people of Missouri against an emergent future filled with darkness and disparity if change is not enacted.”
It is unclear what Gomez’s "agility" has to do with her candidacy for secretary of state, but she does note on her LinkedIn that she is a former Division I swimmer who has coached Special Olympics swimming for the last seven years.
Gomez and her family are originally from Colombia. A 2019 feature in the New York Times says the family immigrated to New Jersey 10 years earlier, renting various apartments before gearing up to buy a house (the focus of the Times’ story, which ran in the real estate section). Despite that background, Gomez has posted hateful videos regarding immigration to her social media including one where she referred to “illegal” immigrants as “sleeper agents” who would turn on America.
In another post to her personal Facebook account on January 6 Gomez wrote,“J6 was entrapment. The true insurrectionists are the illegal immigrants invading our country.” In the same post she endorsed the infamous QAnon Shaman,Jacob Chansley, for Congress in Arizona. Chansley has been sentenced to 41 months in prison with 36 months of supervised release for his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
While Gomez’s career, neighborhood, education, and volunteer history with the Special Olympics and the Hispanic Business Council Community Outreach for Habitat for Humanity point to a young, educated, Gen-Z candidate, Gomez spews a brand of conservatism that is further right-leaning than the platform of the GOP.
But the thing about Gomez that may most upset some of her St. Louis neighbors is totally unrelated to her politics — yet locally, widely considered a crime against humanity:
among other crimes against nature, this lady painted her red brick house in benton park white https://t.co/KxP6eHQwjd
— Sean milphy.bsky.social (@milphy) February 8, 2024
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