[ad_1]
(Jewish Information of Higher Phoenix through JTA) – Two weeks earlier than Paul Gosar headlined a convention by white nationalists, he held a distinct form of fundraiser: with a Jewish candidate.
Rodney Glassman, who’s working within the Aug. 2 Republican main for Arizona’s lawyer common, is a member of Congregation Beth Israel in Scottsdale and a regional board member of the Jewish Nationwide Fund. He additionally touts his endorsement from Gosar, a Republican member of Congress who has associations with white nationalist teams.
“Congressman Gosar helps me,” Glassman instructed the Jewish Information of Higher Phoenix. “I’m constructing a coalition of those that need me to be the lawyer common, and a part of constructing a coalition is having a various group of individuals.”
Gosar appeared at a fundraiser with Glassman on Feb. 19, shortly earlier than he appeared as a featured speaker on the America First Political Motion Convention, a right-wing group based by Nick Fuentes. The Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Regulation Heart each designate Fuentes as an extremist and Holocaust denier. He has routinely unfold antisemitic conspiracy theories, together with lately claiming that “Jews stood in the way in which” of Roe v. Wade being overturned by the Supreme Courtroom, and that “Jewish individuals may be right here, however they will’t make our legal guidelines.”
Gosar has held different fundraisers with Fuentes and has repeatedly declined to sentence Fuentes’ motion’s ideology when requested, regardless of condemnations from prime Republicans together with Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell.
Glassman’s affiliation with Gosar troubles many members of Arizona’s Jewish neighborhood. However Glassman himself shrugs off the criticism.
“He’s supporting my candidacy. He’s by no means requested me to go and touch upon his Twitter feed,” Glassman stated, calling Gosar “one of many staunchest fighters for the Jewish state of Israel in our nation.”
Glassman himself has an uncommon background as a candidate. Previously a Democrat, he served on Tucson’s metropolis council from 2007 to 2010 and was the 2010 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in opposition to John McCain (a marketing campaign throughout which his staffers stated he made homophobic feedback and acted erratically). He switched events in 2015, saying he did so “the day President Trump introduced his candidacy,” though Glassman had reportedly been a registered Republican previous to his political profession.
The Air Drive veteran defined his swap by saying, “I grew to become extra conservative and the Democrats moved method left.” Glassman then ran unsuccessfully for a spot on Arizona’s company fee and Maricopa County assessor earlier than his present AG run.
Glassman claimed that his involvement with Gosar solely grew to become a difficulty after 1000’s of emails have been despatched out by Kris Mayes, a Democratic candidate working for lawyer common.
“It was as a result of the presumptive Democratic nominee was sending out emails about how the Jewish candidate is endorsed by Congressman Gosar, who’s endorsed me in each race I’ve ever run,” stated Glassman.
Glassman has been fast to embrace present Republican ideology. He stated he’s working for lawyer common to “defend you from the federal government” on the federal stage, and he emphasised imposing immigration legal guidelines and preventing unlawful immigration “as a result of unlawful immigration impacts our faculties, well being care and public security.”
He added that kids want defending “from faculty districts pushing essential race concept and human sexuality as a substitute of specializing in studying, writing and math.”
He additionally has embraced the lie that the 2020 election was stolen, telling the Arizona Republic that former President Donald Trump “was cheated out of Arizona’s electoral votes.” Arizona was one of many states focused by Trump and his supporters within the aftermath of the election when the state’s electoral votes went to President Joe Biden, and the state was the topic of a Republican-led “voter audit” amid widespread unproven claims of election fraud.
As lawyer common, Glassman would have a sure diploma of authority in imposing voter ID legal guidelines within the subsequent election. A brand new Arizona state regulation requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections was challenged in courtroom this week by the Justice Division.
One endorsement Glassman doesn’t have, although, is Trump’s. As an alternative, Trump has endorsed Abraham Hamadeh, a U.S. Military Reserve intelligence officer.
A model of this story was initially revealed within the Jewish Information of Higher Phoenix and is reprinted with permission.
[ad_2]
Source link