BY EWAN PALMER ON 3/6/20 Newsweek
#twill #tcot #maga #sbalich #fricilone #congress #leadright #GOP
The Illinois Republican Party has launched a major campaign to try and convince voters not to back a neo-Nazi to represent the party in an upcoming district election.
Holocaust denier and former member of the American Nazi Party, Arthur Jones, is vying for the Republican nomination in the Illinois 3rd congressional district primary election on March 17.
The Illinois GOP suffered huge embarrassment in 2018 when Jones was the only Republican candidate to stand on the primary ballot, having secured enough signatures to represent the party and catching it off guard with no alternative contender in the heavily Democratic district.
Jones went on to receive nearly 60,000 votes in the district general election, losing to Democratic incumbent Rep. Daniel Lipinski, first elected in 2004, who secured over 160,000 votes.Amazon Removes Books Written by Influential Nazi From Sale Following OutcryREAD MOREAds by scrollerads.com
“Arthur Jones isn’t a Republican, and we’re going to expose people to who he really is and do everything we can to educate Republicans not to vote for Arthur Jones,” state GOP Chairman Tim Schneider said in a press conference, reported the Chicago Sun-Times.
“We’re going to do everything we can to distance ourselves from this Neo-Nazi who is running as a Republican.”
Party officials are now endorsing Mike Fricilone, the leader of the Republican minority on the Will County Board, and are urging voters to do the same.
“Mike Fricilone’s Republican and conservative credentials are unquestioned and quite frankly, are second to none. I’m urging all Republican voters in the 3rd Congressional District to cast their vote for Mike,” said Cook County GOP Chairman Sean Morrison.
“Make no mistake about it, there is nothing Republican about Art Jones and his Nazi beliefs. We disavow what he stands for and his candidacy has no place within the Republican Party.”
According to the Chicago Tribune, the state GOP is going to leverage the $247,000 in its federal account to launch its campaign against Jones which includes online ads, mailers and robocalls.
Responding to the GOP’s campaign against him, Jones told WLS: “I can’t help if they’re idiots.” Newsweek has contacted Jones for further comment.
In a statement, Fricilone said. “I am running for Congress on a record of actual accomplishment, while my opponent is running for Congress to have a platform to spread hate and deny the Holocaust.
“I stand strongly with the Republican Members of Congress from Illinois who seek out common sense conservative solutions to improve the lives of families throughout the State of Illinois.”
Catherine O’Shea is also on the ballot for the Republican primary.
Alongside incumbent Lipinski on the March 17 Democratic primary ballot are Marie Newman, Rush Darwish, and Charles Hughes.
