A video of a campaigner for Texas governor Greg Abbott allegedly laughing at him has gone viral, leading the canvasser to claim she got axed from the campaign.
Ring camera video showed the woman, identified as Monique Dawson, laughing after a resident refused to support the governor’s campaign in the upcoming election.
The video was shared by James Whitfield, the resident, on Twitter on Friday and has collected 3.1 million views, more than 5,000 likes and more than 1,000 retweets.
It showed Ms Dawson walking up to Dr Whitfield’s door and ringing the bell.
“I’m a volunteer for Greg Abbott and want to know if we can count on your support for his upcoming election,” she can be heard saying when the door is answered.
“Absolutely not,” replied Mr Whitfield, after which Ms Dawson bursts out with laughter.
“Everybody got to have a job, sir,” she said before laughing and walking away.
Dr Whitfield shared the video with the caption: “She asked the question. I just kept it. I’m runnin’ with a leader who’s filled with courage, conviction, compassion, empathy and integrity.”
Ms Dawson identified herself as the woman in the video in a tweet on Saturday.
“I just saw the look on his face and it was pure amusement,” she tweeted.
“I couldn’t hold in my laugh to save my life, and they fired me,” she said.
Ms Dawson also tweeted a link to a GoFundMe page so she could support herself till she finds a new job.
“If you can spare a $1 or 2 it will add up and replace what I could have been earning as a campaigner,” she wrote on the crowdfunding website.
“Bills are due and I have no other source of income outside this job.”
Ms Dawson’s GoFundMe shows donations of more than $27,000, past its $15,000 goal.
She also posted a video later to confirm she was the same woman in the viral video.
Dr Whitfield said he had posted the video online as he wanted to share her joy with the world.
“I think she could tell by the look on my face that my response was going to be less than favorable because she almost started laughing before I said ‘absolutely not’,” he said via email to the DailyDot.
He added that he had watched the video several times before deciding to share it.
“I felt called to share Monique’s joy with the world. While she may have been canvassing for someone I do not support, she operated with grace, joy, and kindness—a great lesson for us all.”
Mr Abbott’s campaign has denied Ms Dawson was associated with the campaign.
“This person never worked for Texans for Greg Abbott or volunteered for the campaign,” a spokesperson said in an email to DailyDot.
