Georgia Candidate Apologizes for Giving Opponent ‘Jewish Thumbs Down’
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
An attorney running for a judgeship in Georgia apologized for referencing his Jewish opponent’s religion as “not Christian” in his campaign literature.
Roderick Bridges apologized on Saturday to Dax Lopez, the incumbent on the DeKalb County State Court, for literature that listed Bridges as Christian with a thumbs-up sign and Lopez as “not Christian” with a thumbs-down sign.
Bridges also included party affiliation – he’s a Republican and Dax is a Democrat – in what is supposed to be a nonpartisan race. Bridges would be the first African-American to hold the position; Lopez is Hispanic.
Including religion on the checklist was intended to highlight his own commitment to his faith, Bridges said.
“I wasn’t talking about him, I was more so talking about myself,” he said, according to the Daily Report, a publication that covers Georgia’s courts. “We weren’t trying to offend anybody, especially the Jewish population.”
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
