Dem House candidate calls GOP lawmaker ‘a child’

A Democrat running to oust Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) from her House seat called the lawmaker “a child” during a candidate forum this week. 

The comments by Steve Krieg came months after he faced criticism for calling the 33-year-old Stefanik a “little girl” in a comment on Facebook over the summer.

“I have been accused of being a sexist for calling Elise a ‘little girl,’ and I probably deserve to be called a sexist,” he said. “I think most of us, if we admit it, have some of a sexist in us, some of a racist within us. It’s something if we’re decent people, we recognize in ourselves and we struggle with it all of our lives.”

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“But Elise, I recognize her — I’m not going to say a ‘little girl’ — I recognize her as a child,” Krieg added. “And it has nothing to do with her age. I see her as a child because she’s a child. She thinks like a child. She has people set things up for her. She has people put their words in her mouth and she happily repeats them.”

Krieg’s remark was first reported by CNN. 

In July, Krieg posted a comment on Stefanik’s Facebook page referring to her as “sweetie” and a “little girl.” 

“I intend to kick your stingy, money-grubbing, sniveling coward of a butt out of Congress. Don’t worry, sweetie, you’re a little girl. You can always run home to Mommy and Daddy,” he wrote.

Lenny Alcivar, a spokesman for Stefanik, fired back at Krieg’s comment at the time, saying the “district doesn’t need more partisan, political rhetoric,” according to the Press Republican newspaper.