--- title: Woman Takes Politician's Job After He Posted Sexist Meme description: After a New Jersey politician posted a sexist meme on Facebook, one of his constituents ran against him and won, getting his seat. canonical: https://time.com/5015787/ashley-bennett-defeats-john-carman-sexist-meme/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-08T20:14:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:02:52.099Z og:title: Woman Takes Politician's Job After He Posted Sexist Meme og:description: Time for humble pie og:url: https://time.com/5015787/ashley-bennett-defeats-john-carman-sexist-meme/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24a6ecc59293d4d9/6988e50dfb4eac08fe894794/ashley-bennett-john-carman-politician-sexist-meme.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: Voters Head To Polls On Super Tuesday og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Woman Takes Politician's Job After He Posted Sexist Meme twitter:description: Time for humble pie twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24a6ecc59293d4d9/6988e50dfb4eac08fe894794/ashley-bennett-john-carman-politician-sexist-meme.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A Politician's Meme Upset This Woman Enough to Run Against Him. 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In local elections across the country on Nov. 7, a number of candidates won in campaigns that featured compelling twists and interesting firsts._  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Nov 8, 2017 8:14 PM UTC  SANDY SPRINGS, GA - MARCH 06: Local resident Teri Rogers casts her vote at a polling station in St Andrew Presbyterian Church March 6, 2012 in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Ten states, including Georgia, hold caucuses and primaries today for voters to pick their choices for the Republican presidential nominee. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) SANDY SPRINGS, GA - MARCH 06: Local resident Teri Rogers casts her vote at a polling station in St Andrew Presbyterian Church March 6, 2012 in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Ten states, including Georgia, hold caucuses and primaries today for voters to pick their choices for the Republican presidential nominee. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Alex Wong—Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Nov 8, 2017 8:14 PM UTC Ashley Bennet was aghast after New Jersey politician John Carman posted a meme during [the Women’s March](http://time.com/4642574/women-march-portraits/) this January, asking if the protest would be “over in time for them to cook dinner;” however, she put her anger to good use, running against Carman and defeating him to win his seat as an Atlantic County freeholder. According to the [_AP_](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-jersey/articles/2017-11-08/politician-who-joked-about-womens-march-defeated), the sexist meme was the catalyst for the first-time candidate’s Bennett’s decision to run. “I was angry about (the Facebook meme), because elected officials shouldn’t be on social media mocking and belittling people who are expressing their concerns about their community and the nation,” she said. Carman, who said that the meme was “[a bad choice](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/08/new-jersey-womens-march-joke-candidate-beaten)” but felt that the women he knew were “strong and confident” enough not to be offended by its sexism, was running for a second term. This isn’t the first time that Carman has made headlines for controversial behavior; in October, he was criticized for sporting a motorcycle jacket with [a patch that had a Confederate flag on it.](http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/10/county%5Ffreeholder%5Fcriticized%5Ffor%5Fsporting%5Fconfeder.html) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5015787/ashley-bennett-defeats-john-carman-sexist-meme/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5015787/ashley-bennett-defeats-john-carman-sexist-meme/"},"headline":"A Politician's Meme Upset This Woman Enough to Run Against Him. 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