A Republican city councilmember in Dallas who participated in an ad denouncing a Democratic candidate as “dangerous” to children due to her support of trans rights was found guilty of child endangerment in connection with driving while under the influence.
The ad shows Dallas Center, Iowa, Councilmember Shellie Flockhart narrating against Iowa congressional candidate and state senator Sarah Trone Garriott (D). The Republican running against Garriott is actually a man – incumbent Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) – but the ad is entitled “Moms” and features several women accusing Garriott of being bad for children because, the ad claims, Garriott supports equal rights for trans people. Garriott herself is a mother.
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Flockhart accuses Garriott of voting “to let grown men in girls’ locker rooms,” but doesn’t cite a bill or newspaper article to support that claim.
“Sarah voted to force our girls to compete against boys,” Flockhart continues, even though no one supports that position. The ad, again, doesn’t name a bill or reference anything Garriott did, but it may be referring to a vote against a ban on trans girls playing girls’ sports, which is not the same as letting boys in girls’ sports or forcing anyone to play against anyone else.
The ad then accuses Garriott of supporting “gender transition surgeries for minors,” again citing no bill.
“When it comes to our kids, Sarah Trone Garriott is just plain dangerous,” Flockhart concludes as a grainy picture of Garriott flashes on screen.
“Paid actors, corrupt politicians, and now this. This is who Zach Nunn has speaking for him in his ads,” Garriott posted to X about the ad. The Washington Post reports the Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC spent over $1 million on it.
Flockhart herself, though, has not only been accused of endangering children. She pled guilty in 2017 to several charges connected to driving drunk with her two kids, ages 8 and 11, in the car.
According to court records from Dallas County, Flockhart was found parked on the side of a highway by a police officer, who said that her speech was slurred and that she “appeared to have difficulty comprehending” questions. A breath analysis showed her blood alcohol level to be .254, three times the legal limit.
She pled guilty to a count of child endangerment and a count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, both misdemeanors. She got a fine and probation.
The Washington Post says it reached out to Flockhart for comment but that she attached conditions to her statement that would have violated their editorial standards, so they didn’t use it. The Congressional Leadership Fund responded to a request for comment by criticizing even reporting on Flockhart’s criminal record.
But Flockhart has talked about her past on podcasts, saying that she used to have a problem with addiction until she found God. She said that she doesn’t regret that part of her life because “it’s brought a lot of depth to life and it’s brought me salvation.” Flockhart’s Instagram, which has been made private, describes her as: “Christian, mom, salon owner, mentor, cosmetologist, and a little sass!”
Garriott, though, is not the trans ally that Flockhart accused her of being. Garriott has run ads saying she opposes “letting men in women’s locker rooms” in the campaign, which drew criticism from trans rights advocates.
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