Update 4:20pm CT June 6: Abbott’s campaign denies that Dawson worked or volunteered for the campaign. Via email, a campaign spokesperson said, “This person never worked for Texans for Greg Abbott or volunteered for the campaign.”
A video posted over the weekend shows a woman allegedly canvassing for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) laugh when a person at the door said they don’t support him. She says that the Abbott campaign fired her after the footage went viral.
In a video captured by a Ring camera, a woman knocked on someone’s door.
“I’m a volunteer for Greg Abbott and want to know if we can count on your support for his upcoming election,” she said when they answered.
The man at the door didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely not,” he replied.
The woman burst out laughing. “Everybody got to have a job, sir,” she said, still laughing as she walked away.
The man, James Whitfield (@DrJamesWhit), tweeted footage of the interaction on Friday. “She asked the question,” he wrote, “I just kept it 100.”
Whitfield added that he supports Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic nominee for governor of Texas.
The clip swiftly went viral. It’s amassed 3 million views as of this writing.
People loved it. “I want to like this a thousand times,” wrote one.
The Abbott campaign reportedly did not share in their amusement.
On Saturday, Monique Dawson (@Monique48322061) identified herself as the woman in the video. She appears to have joined Twitter after the video of her canvassing for Abbott went viral.
“I just saw the look on his face and it was pure amusement,” Dawson tweeted of the video. “I couldn’t hold in my laugh to save my life, and they fired me.”
She included a link to a GoFundMe making the same claim. “If you can spare a $1 or 2 it will add up and replace what I could have been earning as a campaigner,” she wrote. “Bills are due and I have no other source of income outside this job.”
Abbott’s office didn’t respond to a phone message seeking comment Monday morning.
Dawson didn’t respond to an inquiry posted in a comment on one of her tweets about the incident.
She subsequently posted a video of herself in response to a request to verify her identity.
Twitter users soon connected Whitfield with Dawson. He’s also confirmed that she is the person in the video.
Whitfield told the Daily Dot that he was initially caught off guard to see Dawson standing at his door “with a big smile” asking about whether he supports Abbott.
“I think she could tell by the look on my face that my response was going to be less than favorable because she almost started laughing before I said ‘absolutely not,’” he said via email. Whitfield said he watched the video several times before deciding to share it.
“I felt called to share Monique’s joy with the world. While she may have been canvassing for someone I do not support, she operated with grace, joy, and kindness—a great lesson for us all.”
Although the viral clip resulted in her losing her job, Dawson appears to have come out ahead. As of this writing, her fundraiser has surpassed its $15,000 goal. Several people have also sent her job leads.
“Sorry you lost your job. Maybe Beto’s campaign will hire you?” one of her donors commented.
“I’m applying,” Dawson said.
Read more of the Daily Dot’s tech and politics coverage
*First Published: Jun 6, 2022, 2:19 pm CDT
Claire Goforth
Claire Goforth is a staff writer at the Daily Dot covering all things politics and technology with a focus on the far right and conspiracy theories.
