A text scandal has hit a New Jersey school board race, culminating in two candidates running on a largely liberal platform dropping out of the race.
Conservative mother of three and Marlboro Township school board member Danielle Bellomo was revealed to be the target of school board candidate Scott Semaya, according to a snapped image of his phone. Semaya apparently texted about Bellomo’s “n*ps” being hard in a group text called “ThisB****NeedsToDie.”
“Bellomo must be cold — her nips could cut glass right n–” one message allegedly being typed by Semaya said.
Chad Hyett, the Marlboro school board vice president, was allegedly in the group chat, as well as the husband of a board member.
According to Bellomo, who spoke to the New York Post, those weren’t the only nasty messages shared about her. Some of the messages included “very specific actions that they want to do to me and what their intention is,” she said.
“These text messages are the first time I was able to see they don’t want me alive,” Bellomo added.
Credit: New York Post
Bellomo has shared images on Facebook of Semaya and Melissa Goldberg, another candidate, announcing the end of their campaigns. Goldberg does not appear to have been in the group message but was running on the same campaign slate, called Collaborators for Responsible Education (CORE), as Semaya.
Semaya cited “family circumstances” for suspending his campaign, while Goldberg pointed to too many “other responsibilities.”
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“After what has been a grueling 18 months, I would like to share that Melissa Goldberg and Scott Semaya have dropped out of the election,” Bellomo posted to Facebook on October 8. “Hate has no place in Marlboro and the actions of Scott Semaya and the other men in that group chat should never be tolerated. I am happy that we have ended this cycle of hate.”
Facebook: Danielle Bellomo
The following day, Marlboro Township’s Democrat Mayor Jonathan Horn denounced the text messages and implied that Semaya has no place on a school board. His statement can be read below:
I have been made aware of a series of text messages exchanged by Marlboro Board of Education members and BOE candidates. Let me be clear – the content of these messages is completely unacceptable and those responsible are clearly not equipped to hold public office.
Violence and threats of violence against public officials are seemingly becoming normalized. In only a few months’ time, we have witnessed an alarming escalation in this type of behavior to an extreme, culminating in the murder of Minnesota Representative Hortman and activist Charlie Kirk.
This must stop.
We can disagree with one another without resorting to hate, anger and violence, and I call upon all those in positions of responsibility, regardless of political affiliation to condemn this inexcusable and outrageous behavior.
I have spoken with the Marlboro Police Chief who has informed me that there is an active and ongoing investigation with respect to this matter.
“Mayor [Jonathan Hornik], thank you so much for this statement,” Bellomo said, captioning the mayor’s statement. “This means more to me and my family than you know. Please join me in thanking our Mayor for denouncing hate, of any kind[,] in our town.”
The scandal comes on the heels of another text scandal involving Democrat Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones. Uncovered messages allegedly show Jones fantasizing about murdering a state GOP leader with “two bullets to the head,” the death of the Republican’s children, and “piss[ing]” on the graves of other state Republicans.
Additionally, last month, conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, 31, was assassinated while speaking to students with dissenting views at Utah Valley University.
Related: Benny Johnson Unleashes On Dems After DOJ Arrests Man Threatening His Assassination
