Republican Nominee Seth Grossman: ‘Diversity Is A Bunch Of Crap’
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Aiden Pink June 11, 2018
New Jersey Republican congressional nominee Seth Grossman said in April that “diversity is a bunch of crap and un-American,” Philly.com reported Monday.
Grossman also called diversity “an excuse by Democrats, communists, and socialists, basically, to say that we’re not all created equal; that some people, if somebody is lesser qualified, they will get a job anyway, or they’ll get into college anyway, because of the tribe that they’re with, what group, what box they fit into.”
The proudly pro-Trump nominee also stated that when American was last great, women did not need to work because their husbands were able to support their families on one salary.
Grossman, a former Atlantic City councilman who won the party’s primary last week in New Jersey’s 2nd district in what local press called a “stunning upset,” made the comments at a GOP candidates’ forum two months ago. Footage of the forum was acquired by the Democratic political action committee American Bridge, which sent the footage to Philly.com.
Grossman told Philly.com that he stood by his comments.
“I said it,” he said. “I believe in America that each individual should be judged on nothing but his or her talent, character and hard work. I’m rejecting the whole premise of diversity as a virtue.”
A spokesman for Grossman’s upcoming election opponent, state senator Jeff Van Drew, said that the Democrat was “quite disappointed” by the comments and “wants to be a congressman that embraces our diversity because that is the foundation of [the] country’s success for generations as a land of opportunity.”
New Jersey’s second district at the southern end of the state has been represented by retiring Republican Rep. Frank LoBiondo for the last 24 years. It is expected to flip to the Democrats in November. Van Drew has around $400,000 cash on hand compared to Grossman’s $10,000.
Grossman has told Ballotpedia that his favorite holiday is Passover. “It brings friends and family together with good food, beverages, company, and conversation, but also teaches important lessons,” he wrote.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink
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. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
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 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.
