John Carman’s controversial Facebook post in January about the Women’s March on Washington has drawn a challenger to his seat on the Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
Democrat Ashley Bennett, 32, of Egg Harbor Township, announced Wednesday she will run against Carman, a Republican, for the 3rd District freeholder seat in November.
“Like so many women across the state, I was disgusted by Freeholder Carman’s misogynist Facebook posts,” Bennett said in a statement. “This sort of behavior cannot be tolerated anymore. I’m running for Atlantic County freeholder because we need representatives who will respect all of our residents, regardless of gender, race, creed or sexual orientation.”
Carman did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The Facebook post, depicting a woman standing over a cooking pot, asked whether the women from the Women’s March on Washington would be home in time for dinner. Carman was chided for his post by nearly 35 speakers at a freeholder meeting in January.
Carman apologized later that week.
Bennett is a graduate of Rutgers University and earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Georgian Court University in Lakewood, Ocean County. She is a lifelong resident of Egg Harbor Township.
She currently works as a psychiatric emergency screener at Cape Regional Medical Center.
