‘Alt-Right’ Fraternizer Dana Rohrabacher Narrowly Loses CA Congressional Race
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) Image by Getty Images
Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican known for his pro-Russian views and penchant for hanging out with an “alt-right” advocate, narrowly lost his seat in California’s 48th Congressional District, the New York Times reported.
The incumbent, who has been re-elected for three decades, lost to Democrat Harley Rouda by a small margin, winning 89,068 votes compared to Rouda’s 91,750.
Rohrabacher, a member of the House of Foreign Affairs Committee, has advocated for a better relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, USA Today reported.
He also has a history of fraternizing with internet troll Charles C. Johnson, who wrote on Reddit last year that he did not believe that the Auschwitz gas chambers were real or that six million Jews died. Johnson says he is not a Holocaust denier and that his statement was made as part of a free speech exercise. However, he also helped raise funds for the legal defense of neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin and has been permanently banned from Twitter.
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren
We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.
With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.
— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief
