Holocaust Denier Wins Republican Nomination In Illinois Congressional Race
A Holocaust denier is officially the Republican nominee for a congressional race in Chicago after no other candidates qualified for the primary ballot.
Arthur Jones, a 70-year-old former leader of the American Nazi Party, ran unopposed in Tuesday’s primary. His campaign website includes a section called “Holocaust?” in which he calls the genocide of six million Jews “the biggest blackest lie in history.” In an interview on CNN, Jones claimed that “the Jews basically control the country, the Congress, the economy, the media.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition and the Illinois Republican Party have condemned his candidacy. The state party had successfully pushed Jones off the ballot in past races, but did not do so this time after finding that his election petition signatures were valid.
“Going forward, the Illinois Republican Party will explore all options to oppose Mr. Jones’ candidacy — whether that be supporting an independent candidate for IL-03 after the primary, encouraging a write-in campaign, and potentially other options,” the state party’s executive director told the Chicago Sun-Times last month. “Nazis have no place in our nation’s democracy, and to that end, we will continue to vehemently oppose everything Mr. Jones stands for.”
Jones will face incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski, who fended off a primary race from progressive challenger Marie Newman. Lipinski is strongly favored to win in his heavily Democratic district.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!