Image by wikicommons

The Rhode Island Democratic Party endorsed a candidate who appears to have once been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump and alt-right figures, rather than backing the progressive incumbent, Slate reported Monday.

Challenger Michael Earnheart describes himself on his Facebook page as a “moderate” and responded to questions about his political positions with statements of support for the “Second Amendment” and a promise to “defend against legislation that attempts to stop or interfere with lawful gun ownership,” Slate found.

More troublingly, Earnheart wrote on Twitter that undocumented immigrants are “self-entitled lawbreakers and thieves,” in response to a tweet criticizing the Trump administration’s child-separation policy. An archived version of Earnheart’s Twitter page also features retweets of posts by Roseanne Barr, Donald Trump Jr. and conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich. Earnheart also made Islamophobic comments over a retweet of a post by alt-right figure Gavin McInnes about “Muslim pedophiles.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Public records show that a Michael Earnheart, of the same age and location, registered as a Republican in 2014 and voted as one in the 2016 election.

Incumbent state Rep. Moira Jayne Walsh, known for her support of raising the minimum wage and marijuana legalization, won a seat in the Rhode Island House in 2016. She received backlash in March after sharing in a radio interview that there was an “insane amount of drinking” among legislators at the statehouse.

WOW: Joe McNamara wrote in an endorsement for a Pro-Trump Democrat to be State Representative. Must have been really upset that @RepMoira_Jayne talked about what’s really in those file cabinets at the State House #RIAnimalHouse pic.twitter.com/fz0O8rzxWc

— Brandon S. Bell (@RIGOPChairman) July 2, 2018

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount