Scandal in the Senate: Mayans called Virginia Gallardo 'stupid' and she destroyed him

Kirchnerist senator José Mayans publicly disqualified Virginia Gallardo, candidate for deputy from La Libertad Avanza, and sparked a political-media scandal. The former vedette replied harshly and accused him of being sexist.

The national Senate once again became the epicenter of controversy. In the midst of a debate over legislators' salaries, José Mayans from Formosa launched a series of remarks against the actress and candidate from Corrientes for La Libertad Avanza, Virginia Gallardo, whom he called "dumb" and "stupid" in front of his peers.

"If she thinks she's going to come here and earn 10 million, she fell for the President's lie. A dumb one, a stupid one," said the head of the Kirchnerist bloc, referring to a statement Gallardo had made years ago at Mirtha Legrand's table, when she made an ironic comment about the high salaries of senators.

Mayans's comment came just as the upper chamber approved a resolution that automatically updates parliamentary salaries in line with Congress's collective bargaining agreements. This scheme will bring senators' gross salaries to more than 10 million pesos (22,046 pounds) by the end of the year, a figure that contrasts with the legislator's own denial.

In this context, an old television clip of Gallardo making an ironic comment about parliamentarians' incomes began circulating again. The coincidence only fueled the controversy further.

Far from remaining silent, Gallardo replied from her X account (formerly Twitter) and corrected the senator with irony: "Even dumber and more stupid, Mr. Mayans, is not knowing that I'm a candidate for deputy and not for senator, so you won't have the pleasure of having me as a colleague."

She then directly targeted political privileges: "You're right: they don't earn 10 million, they're going to earn more! And that information doesn't come from Milei, but from the country's most prestigious media outlets."

Finally, she accused him of sexism and disrespect: "I wanted to congratulate you on the education you display in your language, treating a woman who could be your daughter this way. Then they tell me to go study. Pain for the country..."

Gallardo's candidacy for Corrientes shook up the local scene. Known for her career in entertainment, she decided to make the leap into politics alongside Javier Milei, whom she met as a student in economics courses.