Hispanic Republican accuses Democratic opponent of 'whitewashing' her name

Traditional Hispanic naming conventions often include the surnames of both the father and mother.

By Ben Whedon

Published: October 13, 2022 5:24pm

Updated: October 13, 2022 6:26pm

A Hispanic GOP congressional candidate has accused her Democratic opponent of "whitewashing" her name by not including her full surname in an attack ad.

Alexis Martinez Johnson is seeking election to the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico. She is of Hispanic descent and Martinez Johnson is her full name. A campaign ad from her opponent, incumbent Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, refers to her simply as "Alexis Johnson," which the Republican asserts is an effort to gloss over her own Hispanic heritage in a heavily Latino constituency.

.@TeresaForNM & @theDemocrats released a racist attack TV ad intentionally whitewashing me in our largely Hispanic district by omitting "Martinez" from my name.

From breakfast tacos to this, the out-of-touch liberal elite continue to show why Hispanics are voting GOP in '22. pic.twitter.com/CTy82D0ZZ0

— Alexis Martinez Johnson (@alexisjohnsonnm) October 13, 2022

"When Hispanic women decide they are not willing to vote Democratic anymore, the radical left becomes unhinged," Martinez Johnson told Fox News. "They call us breakfast tacos, 'Miss Frijoles,' and now they've stooped to whitewashing my proud Hispanic heritage out of desperation. It's offensive and disgusting, and this is why Republicans will win back the House this year. The Hispanic community is sick and tired of being used and sold out year after year."

The Republican's name will appear on the ballot as "Alexis Martinez Johnson."

Traditional Hispanic naming conventions often include the surnames of both the father and mother, though shorthand references tend to drop that of the mother, which comes second. New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for example, was born to a father surnamed Ocasio and mother surnamed Cortez. The hyphen is optional. In most cases, married women take on their husband's father's name first and retain that of their own father as well.

Just the News has sought clarification from Martinez Johnson as to her own naming convention and has requested comment from the Leger Fernandez campaign.