Michael van Holst didn't get the type of reaction he wanted as he runs for city council in London, Ontario.
Source: London Free Press
Resistance at the doorstep isn’t new for campaigning politicians, but one in London got cursed out by a voter – an exchange captured by a porch camera and posted online – who wanted no part of his battles against COVID-19 rules.
A citizen who answered her door to campaigning Ward 1 Coun. Michael van Holst asked if he was the “anti-vaxxer” on city council and then told him to “get f—ed” before shutting the door, a reaction one expert said is the fallout of building a reputation as a provocative politician on the COVID-19 file, but perhaps also a sign of wider negativity that’s seeped into election season.
“You can’t be a lightning rod that courts controversy and then expect that it won’t catch up with you in some manner,” Fanshawe College political scientist Matt Farrell said. “If you’re someone who does take controversial positions on issues that are at odds with what others believe, you’re getting called out for that.”
The voter who swore and slammed the door after confirming he was “the anti-vaxxer guy” is in the minority, van Holst said, adding he gets an angry dismissal about once or twice a day, with the pandemic a particularly contentious issue.
