CommentsBCK FILE--A GOP candidate for the Senate seat held by longtime incumbent Dianne Feinstein, Patrick Little was removed from the Republican state convention in San Diego on Saturday. Patrick Little, a Holocaust denier who characterizes himself as a “Counter-Semitic” and a white nationalist, polled as high as 18 percent in an April 27 SurveyUSA poll.
The California Republican Party moved to remove Little from the Party Convention, condemning his views. Little has used his social media platforms and website to promote a United States “free from Jews,” as well as establishing “all white continuity zones and threatening the extermination of Jewish officeholders who refuse to give up their positions.
The state’s June 5 election is a Top Two primary, which means the top two candidates would move on to the November election, regardless of party. Should Little move forward, he would appear on the November ballot, the third Republican in the 2018 election cycle to express anti-Semitic and white nationalist views.
Former American Nazi Party leader Arthur Jones faced no opposition in the March primary for the Third US Congressional District in Illinois, moving ahead to the November general election.
In Wisconsin, white supremacist Paul Nehlen is running for Speaker Paul Ryan’s seat in the state’s First U.S. Congressional District.
Hate crimes in the United States have escalated since President Trump began his campaign. In the month following his 2016 election, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported over 1,090 hate crimes, 1 in 5 directed at Jews or Muslims.
Trump’s rhetoric since his first rallies has continued to flame intolerance, racism, and anti-Semitism. Scapegoating has historically been used to amp up fear and gain power.
The California Republican Party sent a message that hatred and fear-mongering are not welcome in our state. With hope, other states will follow suit.
(Beth Cone Kramer is a professional writer living in the Los Angeles area. She covers Resistance Watch and other major issues for CityWatch.)
-cw
