White Nationalist Rep. Steve King Wins Reelection In Iowa After Tight Race
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) questions witnesses during a House Judiciary Committee hearing concerning the oversight of the U.S. refugee admissions program. Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
GOP Rep. Steve King was reelected in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, despite condemnation for his anti-Semitic and racist rhetoric, The Hill reported.
King, now a nine-term representative, beat out Democrat opponent J.D. Scholten 50.4%-47%.
Not one for dog whistles, King has been uncensored when it comes to his white nationalist viewpoints. He has a long history of inflammatory comments, many of which sound like that of his recent interview with members of a far-right Austrian party with Nazi ties: “Western civilization is on the decline.” The interview took place five days after a trip to Poland, where he toured the country’s historical Jewish sites, including the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp.
In his interview, King also accused billionaire liberal megadonor George Soros, who is Jewish, of being behind the Great Replacement and funding the U.S. midterm elections, the Washington Post reported.
King also endorsed a white nationalist candidate for Toronto mayor who’s running to prevent “white genocide,” according to Esquire, and retweeted a British neo-Nazi.
Following the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue late last month, some religious communities in Iowa came together to denounce King and urge donors to dump him. Two Jewish leaders said he is “an enthusiastic crusader for the same types of abhorrent beliefs held by the Pittsburgh shooter.”
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at fisher@forward.com, or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
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