Paul Nehlen Image by YouTube

By Dave Goldiner August 15, 2018

White supremacist Paul Nehlen is winning a surprising strong 11% of the vote in the Republican primary for Paul Ryan’s congressional seat.

The notorious racist, who lashed out at critics for being “shekel-for-hire” Jews, was in third place with more than 80% of the votes counted in Wisonsin’s first district, a GOP bastion in the southern part of the state that Democrats hope to flip with Ryan retiring.

Nehlen trailed behind establishment Republican choice Bryan Steil, who led a crowded field with just over 50% of the votes.

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)

Democrats voted for ironworker Randy Bryce, whose working-class charm and distinctive mustache earned him the nickname “Iron Stache.”

Nehlen ran against Ryan in the 2016 GOP primary. The race got national attention when then-candidate Donald Trump refused to endorse Ryan, but the House Speaker won in a 5-to-1 landslide.

Since then, Nehlen has appeared with anti-Semitic figures like David Duke, blamed “Jewish media” for unfair press coverage and published an enemies list of Jewish journalists.

But fellow white nationalists have distanced themselves from Nehlen in recent months because many felt he was being too overtly racist. Nehlen was banned from Gab, a Twitter-like platform popular with the “alt-right,” after revealing the secret identity of a prominent troll with whom he had ideological disagreements.

The state Republican party condemned Nehlen in February after his Twitter ban.

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