Fake campaign page for WA candidate posts about voting to ‘barbecue’ opponent
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The fake page's URL ended in 'NotTheRealGaryParker' and used the name 'Parker Gary'.
- The page used Parker’s headshot and website while posting inflammatory statements.
- Parker denied ownership and created an official campaign Facebook page Sunday.
A Facebook user started a fake campaign page for Washington state Senate candidate Gary Parker in recent days, impersonating the Republican candidate while posting inflammatory statements online.
Parker, the owner of a Gig Harbor barbecue joint called BBQ2U, is running for the state Senate seat in the 26th Legislative District this year.
The campaign page in question has a URL ending in “NotTheRealGaryParker” and the profile name “Parker Gary,” along with a description: “Fake Campaign Page for State Senate Candidate Gary Parker to help him win!”
“The Facebook account in question is not affiliated with my campaign or me in any way,” Parker wrote in an email to The News Tribune Monday. “Neither I nor anyone associated with my campaign created or authorized the page or its content.”
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“After spending a few minutes reviewing the content I found it to be unprofessional, unserious, and utterly absurd. Senseless stupidity like this are exactly why people get so frustrated with politics to begin with.”
The fake page appears to have been active since at least Saturday, making posts with derogatory statements against Democrats, transgender people and Parker himself.
One post urges voters to elect Parker “so we can barbecue Deborah Krishnadasan.” State Sen. Deborah Krishnadasan (D-Gig Harbor) is the incumbent for the 26th Legislative District seat and will be Parker’s opponent in the Nov. 3 general election.
“Violence, threats of violence, and defamation have no place in our politics or our communities,” Krishnadasan said in an emailed statement to The News Tribune Monday afternoon. “Whether this page was intended as a joke or something more serious, I appreciate the many people who quickly spoke up and recognized that such speech and personal attacks are unacceptable.”
The page included Parker’s headshot, a link to Parker’s campaign website and a pinned post with a link to donate to Parker’s campaign. It had 55 followers as of Monday morning.
Parker created an official campaign Facebook page not long after the “Parker Gary” page went live. His profile Gary Parker for State Senate Official says it was created Sunday and had one follower as of Monday morning. Parker told The News Tribune that the public should look to his official Facebook page or his campaign website for accurate information.
Several posts on the fake page showed replies from Parker repeating the message: “This is the real Gary Parker for Senate. Please disregard this page. This is not my page and nothing you see here has been posted by me. We have reported this to FB and hopefully taken down soon.” Other users also corrected people in the comments, repeating that the page was a fake campaign page.
The News Tribune reached out to the creator of the fake campaign page Monday via a Facebook message, but did not immediately hear back.
The News Tribune reached out to the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission to learn if the commission has rules around fake campaign materials.
Natalie Johnson, communications specialist for the PDC, wrote in an email Monday that the commission generally requires “reporting of money associated with political advertising and contributions, but not the content of those ads.”
“Political satire is free speech, and would not be regulated by the PDC,” she wrote.
The exception is for libel in political ads, as outlined in state law, but “the bar for libel for a public figure is very high,” she added.
This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Fake campaign page for WA candidate posts about voting to ‘barbecue’ opponent."
