Republican who called Democrat ‘dangerous’ to kids found guilty of child endangerment
The ad showed Shellie Flockhart speaking against Democratic congressional candidate Sarah Trone Garriott. (YouTube / CLF SuperPAC)
A Republican city councilmember in Iowa who narrated a transphobic ad calling a Democrat “dangerous” to children pleaded guilty to child endangerment linked to a driving-while-intoxicated case.
The ad, titled “Moms”, features Dallas Center city council-member Shellie Flockhart speaking against Iowa state senator and Democratic congressional candidate Sarah Trone Garriott.
In the spot, Flockhart claims Garriott voted “to let grown men in girls’ locker rooms,” and concludes: “When it comes to our kids, Sarah Trone Garriott is just plain dangerous,” as a grainy image of Garriott flashes on screen.
Garriott responded on X, writing: “Paid actors, corrupt politicians, and now this. This is who Zach Nunn has speaking for him in his ads,” referring to the Republican incumbent running against her.
What does the ‘Moms’ anti-trans ad claim?
The ad frames itself around protecting children and leans on familiar anti-trans talking points about locker rooms, girls’ sports and gender-affirming healthcare for minors.
Local elected officials in the US are often used in Super PAC advertising to add “everyday voter” credibility, and trans inclusion is frequently targeted in campaign messaging through claims about schools, sports and bathrooms or locker rooms.
The Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC reportedly spent more than $1million on the ad.
Shellie Flockhart’s child endangerment case
Flockhart’s conviction is connected to a driving-while-intoxicated case. In 2017, she pleaded guilty to two misdemeanours — one count of child endangerment and one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated — after she was found in the car with her two children, aged eight and 11, reports The Washington Post.
According to court records from Dallas County, an officer found her parked on the side of a highway and said her speech was slurred and she “appeared to have difficulty comprehending” questions. A breath analysis showed her blood alcohol level was .254, described as three times the legal limit. She received a fine and probation.
Flockhart has also discussed her past on podcasts, saying she had a problem with addiction until she found God, and that she does not regret her past because “it’s brought a lot of depth to life and it’s brought me salvation.”
