Republicans sought to distance themselves Wednesday from a Holocaust denier who won the GOP primary race in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District, saying he is a “disgrace” and not reflective of the party’s values.
Arthur Jones, who the Illinois Republican Party described as a Nazi, had a clear path to his party’s nomination after the GOP failed to field another candidate against him in the Democrat-friendly district.
“Arthur Jones is a Nazi, not a Republican,” said former Sen. Norm Coleman, chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition. “Like the RNC and the Illinois GOP, the RJC has flat out rejected Arthur Jones.”
“The GOP didn’t invite Jones into the party, the only mistake was not running a candidate in an uncompetitive, safe-Democrat district,” he said. “There is no place for Nazis and white supremacists in the Republican Party, Arthur Jones will never be accepted in our party.”
Mr. Jones is set to face off against Rep. Daniel Lipinski in the general election race, though the Illinois GOP has signaled interest in putting its resources behind an independent candidate to further distance themselves from Mr. Jones.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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