Republican Congressional candidate Kim Klacik, 38, became a household name on September 18 when her appearance on The View went absolutely haywire. After co-host Joy Behar criticized her for defending President Donald Trump, she shot back by reminding Behar that she once did blackface. Cue an all-out fight between Klacik, Behar, and co-host Sunny Hostin, that ended up with Klacik getting booted from the show mid-interview. Here’s what else you should know about her:
1. She’s running for Elijah Cummings’ Congressional seat. Klacik, a Republican, is hoping to fill the seat in Congress left empty after Maryland Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings’ death in December 2019. She already ran in the special election in April 2020, but lost to Democrat Kweisi Mfume. On The View, she blamed her loss on the pandemic after co-host Sunny Hostin said the Black community didn’t vote for her.
2. She spoke at the 2020 RNC. Klacik opened the 2020 Republican National Convention with a speech disparaging Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for a controversial joke made in a May interview — that Black Americans who vote for Trump “ain’t Black.” She stated, “Joe Biden believes we can’t think for ourselves, that the color of someone’s skin dictates their political views. We’re not buying the lies anymore. You and your party have neglected us for far too long. [Trump] is bringing the American spirit to life for all Americans.”
3. She is the Executive Director of a nonprofit called Potential Me. The nonprofit’s mission, according to their site, is “to provide disadvantaged women with the tools needed to obtain a career and gain financial independence. Professional & successful are related.” That includes providing professional clothing for disadvantaged women so they can look their best for interviews and jobs.
4. She has been endorsed by Donald Trump. A Klacik campaign ad, in which she claimed Democrats didn’t want you to see the “real” Baltimore, caught Trump’s attention. After all, he previously disparaged Cummings, calling the district “rat-infested.” Trump tweeted the ad out to his followers, and later, formally endorsed her: “Kimberly Klacik is working hard to help the people of Baltimore. She has my complete and total endorsement,” he wrote on Twitter.
5. She’s served as a Republican strategist. Klacik was a member of the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee prior to running for Congress. Per her campaign site, has has also “been working to raise awareness of Baltimore Blight for many years. This includes her efforts to clean up trash and restore Baltimore neighborhoods and organize clothing drives for some of Baltimore’s most vulnerable residents.”