May 12, 2020

MNGOP Convention Countdown: U.S. Senate Candidate Jason Lewis Has a History of Offensive Comments on Race

With the Minnesota GOP State Convention right around the corner, Republicans are set up to formally nominate Republican candidate Jason Lewis for Senate. Here’s a look at his comments on race:

Earlier this year, The Huffington Post reported Jason Lewis used his conservative talk show to make a series of racist comments about the Black community. Lewis declared that “White Lives Matter,” a phrase which is associated with a group categorized by Southern Poverty Law Center as a neo-Nazi hate group.” Lewis even falsely claimed that white people are usually the victims in interracial crimes —an argument commonly used by white supremacists.

Lewis also deflected from the idea of “racial bias,” and said that the “real problem in the black community is the gangsta culture.” He also compared being on welfare to living on a plantation, saying“Blacks fought so hard…so blacks could take care of themselves and not be told what to do…Now, you’ve got the modern welfare state that tells black folks and Hispanic folks and poor white folks: ‘Don’t worry. We’ll take care of you.’ What is the difference? You’ve substituted one plantation for another.”

And, finally, Lewis compared income tax brackets to slavery. When complaining about the rich paying too much in taxes compared to those with lower income, he said “We used to call this slavery when we did it by race. Now we do it by economics, so I guess it’s OK.”

Lewis’ views of the Black community and ignorance toward social justice concerns have no place in the U.S. Senate.

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