New Jersey woman defeats Republican who mocked Women's March

(Image credit: AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Had he not made a flippant comment about the Women's March in January, John Carman might still be a freeholder representing Atlantic County in New Jersey.

Instead, his seat will now be filled by Ashley Bennett, a 32-year-old psychiatric emergency screener. She says she felt compelled to run after Carman shared a Facebook meme that asked, "Will the woman's protest end in time for them to cook dinner?" accompanied by the caption: "Just asking?" Bennett wasn't the only person who found this distasteful — several women complained to the Atlantic County board — and she ran to show elected officials they need to hold themselves to a higher standard.

Bennett, a Democrat in a Republican stronghold, beat Carman by almost 1,000 votes on Tuesday night. "People want change," Bennett told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday. "I am beyond speechless and incredibly grateful to serve my community. I never imagined I would run for office." Carman, who defended sharing the meme by saying he was only joking, posted on Facebook after his defeat that "apparently, the good Lord has other plans for me." Like maybe cooking his own dinner?

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.