Democratic Michigan congressional candidate Shelby Campbell suggested she decided to do many things — including running for the House — “out of spite” for a former significant other who broke up with her 10 years ago.
In a TikTok video Campbell posted Feb. 6 that circulated Monday on X, the candidate said the man in question blocked her and broke up with her on that exact day 10 years ago. Campbell listed her accomplishments following their separation, thanking her ex-partner — whom she revealed the first, middle and last name of — and cited her spite for him as to why she is running for Congress.
“Everything I do is out of spite,” Campbell said in the video. “Instead of being an evil spiteful bitch, I just level up on you hoes.”
“I’m still bitter about it but I’m so thankful, because without you, I have done so much” said Campbell in her TikTok video, addressing the man. “The only aspiration I had when I was with you at that age was just to get to Texas and save you from doing drugs … maybe be a hair stylist, but now baby, I’m running for Congress.”
Campbell told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement that the purpose of the video was to show how unaddressed trauma and addiction shape people and how the choice to heal from this trauma can alter the direction of someone’s life.
“I share this story because it reflects a broader reality: when trauma is ignored, it often leads to cycles of addiction, incarceration, and instability; when it is confronted, it can lead to growth, accountability, and purpose,” said Campbell in the email. “My candidacy is rooted in lived experience with these systems and a belief that public policy should do more to support healing, opportunity, and working people.”
She said the end of her relationship was painful for her but became an important turning point in her life that pushed her towards “independence, education, and long-term stability.”
“In the video, when I say that everything I do is ‘out of spite,’ I explicitly mean spite for good, not evil,” clarified Campbell. “I was describing determination — the refusal to internalize limitations placed on me at a young age.”
Campbell in September made a TikTok video that garnered significant backlash for making fun of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, comparing it to ABC briefly suspending Jimmy Kimmel’s show.
“Hey, MAGA. How bad does it hurt that Jimmy Kimmel is back, but you guys can’t get your person back?” Campbell said in the video, before making what appeared to be a scream of joy.
Campbell responded to the criticisms by saying her comments were dark humor and that she was pointing out the irony between Kirk’s free speech activism and the call for cancellation of Kimmel’s show by conservatives.
Campbell’s Company, the maker of Campbell’s Soup, filed a lawsuit against the congressional candidate in October for using campaign materials that resembled the Campbell Soup can design according to a report from Michigan Public NPR. Ms. Campbell settled with the food conglomerate the following month, agreeing to cease using the trademarked Campbell soup logo.
The courts allowed the congressional candidate to keep using the word “soup” for her campaign, the outlet reported. The URL for her campaign’s website is soup4change.com.
Campbell is running in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s 13th congressional district against incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar and left-wing candidate Donavan McKinney — who is endorsed by Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
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