Debra Bartoshevich

Debra Bartoshevich is a 41-year-old emergency room nurse from Wisconsin [ [http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=762052 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel] ] featured in an August 2008 national television ad produced by the John McCain presidential campaign. In the ad, Bartoshevich declares herself "a proud Hillary Clinton Democrat" who will vote for John McCain, rather than Barack Obama, in the 2008 presidential election. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/25/AR2008082502104.html Washington Post August 25, 2008] ]

On May 4, 2008, Bartoshevich was one of four people from Racine County, Wisconsin selected by a local Democratic caucus as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. The Racine, Wisconsin "Journal Time" quotes her, "in a speech before the votes were cast" telling other delegates "I support her because of her universal health care plan...I see the devastating consequences of diseases on the uninsured." [ [http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2008/05/05/local_news/doc481e8f5b068f6954805776.txt Journal Times May 5, 2008] ]

Bartoshevich can be seen on YouTube telling a television interviewer that she was contacted by the McCain campaign "approximately three minutes" after Hillary Clinton's June 5 speech suspending her campaign for the presidency. Describing herself as a "member of the Wisconsin Democrat Party" ["sic"] who has "always voted Democrat", but a "new person" at the caucus, she told the interviewer that when she signed a pledge to support the Democratic nominee, she believed the paper was just a sign-in sheet. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJm-56iKMAo YouTube video from ABC affiliate WISN.com] ]

On Friday, June 13, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Journal Sentinel's website reported Bartoshevich's public affiliation with the McCain campaign. She told the Journal Sentinel that her sister had "encouraged" her to sign up as a supporter with “Citizens for McCain,” an arm of the campaign targeting Democrats and independents. Bartoshevich added that it was the McCain campaign, not she herself, who then notified a reporter. [ [http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=762052 Journal Sentinel, June 14, 2008] ] Bartoshevich told Associated Press writer James A. Carlson that her sister was a McCain supporter who had served in Iraq. [ [http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/27/delegate_who_said_shed_vote_for_mccain_in_fight/ Boston Globe, June 27, 2008] ] In a later statement to Wisconsin Democratic Party leaders, however, Bartoshevich claimed that it was in fact her sister who had put her name onto the McCain campaign website. [ [http://www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=1&date=7/25/2008&id=43793 Journal Sentinel July 25, 2008] ]

The Wisconsin Democratic Party voted unanimously to replace her as a delegate to the Denver convention, citing a Democratic National Committee rule that requires delegates to support the party’s nominee. [ [http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2008/06/15/local_news/doc4855e2e2a61fd537189960.txt Journal Times June 15, 2008] ] Bartoshevich's delegate slot was given to another Clinton supporter, Marilyn Nemeth, who had received the next-highest number of caucus votes. [ [http://www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=1&date=7/25/2008&id=43793 Journal Sentinel July 25, 2008] ]

According to the Associated Press, McCain himself traveled to Racine in July, where he met with Bartoshevich before introducing her and her family to a campaign gathering of about 1,000 people. [ [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iNxTApa2sQRu0Xx99P3jt2bEXw7gD9290DR80 AP July 31, 2008] ]

On August 25, the new ad (called "Debra") was launched. [ [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hKMDKzq3AMZKW6Esv_gH7lxSxWhAD92PIS2G3 AP August 25, 2008] ] A second McCain ad launched the same day (called "Passed Over") also urged Hillary Clinton's followers to switch allegiance to McCain. [ [http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/08/23/new-mccain-ad-gets-more-personal/ WSJ August 23, 2008] ]

Also on August 25, Bartoshevich was made the central figure of a press conference sponsored by the Republican National Committee and hosted by Carly Fiorina. [ [http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/rnc-fiorina-penny-bartoshevich-ruccia/story.aspx?guid=%7BB991FC0D-53AD-499D-BF48-0465E9EDB662%7D&dist=hppr Marketwatch] ] Bartoshevich, who is pro-choice, was asked about McCain's views on "Roe v. Wade". She responded by saying, "Going back to 1999, John McCain did an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle saying that overturning "Roe v. Wade" would not make any sense, because then women would have to have illegal abortions". This raised questions, because McCain's position as of August 2008 was that "Roe v. Wade" should be overturned. [ [http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/08/from_the_rnc_podium_mccain_doe.html Time] ] [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/ MSNBC] ]

ee also

*McCain Democrat

References