Fact Check

Did a Man Photobomb Mitch McConnell With a Thumbs-Down Gesture While They Voted?

This isn't exactly what we mean when we refer to a "photo booth."

by Dan Evon, Published Nov. 7, 2018



Claim:
A photograph shows a man giving Mitch McConnell a thumbs-down from the voting booth.
Rating:
True

About this rating


On the night of the U.S. midterm elections on 6 November 2018, many social media users shared a photograph which purportedly showed a voter expressing his displeasure with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell by giving him a thumbs-down from the voting booth:

This was a genuine photograph of a voter photobombing McConnell with a thumbs-down gesture, although it was snapped during the midterm elections in 2014, not 2018.

This picture was taken by Aaron Bernstein on 4 November 2014 at Bellarmine University and is available via Getty Images along with the following caption:

A voter gestures as Senate Minority Leader U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) votes in the midterm elections at Bellarmine University November 4, 2014 in Louisville, Kentucky. McConnell is running in a tight race against opponent Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Courier Journal photographer Michael Clevenger also managed to capture that moment:

Sen. McConnell casts vote as man behind him gives thumbs down at @bellarmineU. @courierjournal @ALTONPHOTO #kysen pic.twitter.com/EFAqxMfbMd

— Michael Clevenger (@MClevenger_CJ) November 4, 2014


A video also captured the incident from another angle:

This guy voting behind Mitch McConnell who wants the world to know how he feels about Mitch McConnell: pic.twitter.com/aP7m7dblLW

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) November 4, 2014



By Dan Evon

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.


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