Mermaid Beach LNP fave Ray Stevens disses opponent’s Tinder gimmick as ‘demeaning’
UPDATE: MERMAID Beach independent candidate Saraya Beric who resorted to dating app Tinder for profile believes she has “rattled” incumbent Ray Stevens.
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UPDATE: MERMAID Beach independent candidate Saraya Beric who resorted to dating app Tinder for profile believes she has “rattled” incumbent Ray Stevens.
Ms Beric’s Tinder election profile, started on Saturday, referred to LNP’s Mr Stevens as “who you are currently in a relationship with” and it had been “too long”.
Mr Stevens swiped back, saying using dating app as a campaign tool was “demeaning” to the electorate but Ms Beric said today it was proving a major publicity driver.
After her novel approach was revealed in the Bulletin this morning she has been inundated with media requests all day and had done every Gold Coast radio station, Today show this morning with Karl Stefanovic and The Project to screen tonight.
“I think Ray is a bit rattled by it,” she said yesterday, adding she now had 48 Tinder matches and none had spilled over into potential dating territory.
“Everyone has been really respectful. It’s all G-rated so credit to the men of Mermaid Beach.”
Mr Stevens opted for his own novel hoarding today, with LNP colleague John-Paul Langbroek, of Surfers Paradise, tweeting a photo of the pair with Mr Stevens’ hoarding sign dressed up as a Roman gladiator.
“I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next”, Mr Langbroek tweeted, adding: “Maximus Decimus Meridius aka Ray Stevens MP with apologies to @russellcrowe and #Gladiator fighting off the @QLDLabor hordes on #OurGoldCoast #qldpol.”
EARLIER: MERMAID Beach LNP incumbent Ray Stevens has called an opponent’s “disgraceful” campaign using a dating app as “demeaning” to the electorate.
Mr Stevens took a swipe yesterday at Independent candidate Saraya Beric for resorting to Tinder to get profile after she targeted him as someone who’d been a politician “too long”.
Those on Tinder who come across her profile are greeted with a smiling photo of the single 33-year-old and message: “ ... you may be looking for a date ... but I’m looking for your vote on the 25th November!”
Ms Beric said she started the Tinder account as a campaign tool on Saturday because she didn’t have the budget of those standing for major political parties.
She personally attacks incumbent Mr Stevens in one of her Tinder photos, writing on it that he is “who you are currently in a relationship with” and it’s been “too long”.
Mr Stevens, running for a fourth term in the seat, said Ms Beric resorting to Tinder was “disgraceful behaviour” from someone with no community recognition.
“I think it is demeaning to the electorate and a stunt to get her name out there,” he said.
Mr Stevens added a vote for her was a vote for Labor because she had preferenced Labor ahead of him.
“She has preferenced Labor over me – and they can have her.”
Tinder users swipe right to ‘like’ someone and left to reject them – and Ms Beric said she was swiping right on everyone and had a few matches “but no dinner or drinks” yet.
Her Tinder profile data showed she so far had had 100s of users swipe right on her “so it’s reaching the electorate – it’s just another avenue to get out there and it’s good fun”.
“I’m creative, I think outside the box and we need more people in Parliament like that, skilful entrepreneurs.”
Ms Beric said she had used Tinder previously for its more traditional purpose – and it sparked a three-and-a-half year relationship.
Asked if she planned considering any of her matches as potential dates this time around, she said she wasn’t “really looking for that” and was too busy for a relationship.
“I have swiped yes to everyone. I’m looking for booth workers who might come and help me on election day.”
It is the 33-year-old’s first time standing in a state election but she has political experience having worked behind the scenes in marketing for One Nation’s controversial founder Pauline Hanson.
Labor star Kate Jones – dubbed the de facto Minister for the Gold Coast given her Tourism and Commonwealth Games posts – didn’t mince words when asked what she thought of using Tinder as a campaign tool.
“Swipe left,” she said.
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