Draft:Valentina Gomez

Valentina Gomez (born Valentina Gomez Noriega; May 8, 1999) is an American far-right businesswoman and financer who is a candidate for Missouri Secretary of State in 2024.

Biography
Valentina Gomez was born on May 8, 1999, in Colombia and grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her family emigrated from Colombia in 2009. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from Central Connecticut State University in 2019 and a Master of Business Administration from Tulane University in 2020. She was also a Division I College Swimmer.

As of May 2024, she is currently a finance employee working for Nestlé.

2024 Missouri Secretary of State campaign
Gomez launched her campaign for Missouri Secretary of State in November 2023. She doubts the legitimacy of the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, and has promised to ban voting machines in the state of Missouri if elected. Throughout the campaign, she has released a number of provocative social media posts which have led to endorsements from several conservative figures, including Matt Gaetz, and George Santos.

On February 6, 2024, Gomez released a controversial video on X of her burning two LGBT books called: "Queer: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens", and "Naked: Not Your Average Sex Encyclopedia" with a homemade flamethrower The video received extensive criticism as well as comparisons to the Nazi book burnings.

On May 12, 2024, Gomez released another controversial video on both X and Instagram of her jogging through a heavily LGBTQ St. Louis district wearing a fitness vest (which many mistook for a bulletproof vest) and shorts, saying: "“In America, you can be anything you want, so don’t be weak and gay. Stay fucking hard." Her video received at least 3 million views as of May 16, 2024, and was widely criticized, mainly by Democrats and media pundits who viewed it as both cringeworthy and homophobic. Instagram removed her video, causing her to claim to be "one of the most suppressed voices of Instagram" along with former U.S. president Donald Trump. The video prompted the company Pit Viper to ask Gomez to stop using their sunglasses in her social media videos; she responded by calling the company "weak and gay."

Association with alt-right figures
On May 3, 2024, Gomez praised white nationalist Nick Fuentes's reinstatement on X, saying "Long live the First Amendment." On May 19, 2024, Gomez again wrote approvingly of Fuentes, saying that "we may have some differences but putting America First unites us."

The X post attached to Gomez's "don't be weak and gay" video tagged manosphere influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate.

Personal life
Gomez lives in St. Louis, Missouri and owns a home in the Benton Park neighborhood.