Democrat Supporters Exploit Rape Victims in AD 5 Race

(NN&V Staff) – Tim Williams, candidate for Assembly District 5, expressed his shock and disgust over a series of campaign mailers that take aim at the pain one of his family members endured. The mailers, sent by the supporters of incumbent legislator Marilyn Dondero Loop, claim Tim Williams is sympathetic to rapists.

“I don’t know how they found out that one of my family members was raped, but it clearly goes beyond human decency, causing my family and other victims of rape to relive the pain all over again,” said Williams. “Since the piece is not grounded in fact, I can only assume they did it to personally and viciously hurt me and my family. They also did not consider the pain and suffering they have caused hundreds of rape victims who received this mailer.”

Campaign manager Nathan Emens speculates that the mailers are the last desperate act of an incumbent in trouble. Most recent polls show Williams and Dondero Loop in a dead heat, with Williams having the advantage over an incumbent that has been largely under the radar during her term.

“Dondero Loop doesn’t have much to hang her hat on, so somebody has made the decision to make up lies about Tim Williams and try to hurt him,” said Emens. “Williams was one of the people who came to the aid of a family member after a rape. He personally saw the pain, suffering, and blood.”

Emens says the campaign mailers are the lowest of low, particularly because it demonstrates how out of touch the opposition is with the topic. According to the National Violence Against Women Survey, 13.4 percent of all adult women in the United States have been victims of forcible rape sometime during their lifetime.

In Nevada, those figures are significantly higher. In 2003, the National Violence Prevention Center estimated that almost 20 percent of women in Nevada have been forcibly raped. During the study, researchers said interviewees who had been raped were still sufficiently damaged by the attack and needed mental health support.

“While we need to stay focused on jobs and the economy in Nevada, these mailers reaffirm my belief that we need stricter penalties against violent crimes,” said Williams. “Nevada has one of the laxest sexual assault laws in the nation, and my opponent never thought to do anything about it. We need tougher sentences that are not contingent on ‘substantial bodily harm’ because regardless of bodily harm, rape victims are forced to serve a life sentence with the pain of what these criminals did.”

Williams encourages all Nevadans to support various victim support organizations in Nevada, including the Rape Crisis Center of Southern Nevada and The Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence. Williams said he would also like to remind women that the first step after a sexual assault is to immediately go to the hospital and/or contact police without cleaning up.