Political newcomer Corey Gibson is a fierce Trump supporter in Washington state running to oust a GOP House member who voted to impeach the former president.
If he succeeds and makes it to Capitol Hill, he’ll also become the first Republican member of Congress to come out as gay before being elected.
Mr. Gibson is running in the Aug. 2 Republican primary election against Rep. Dan Newhouse on a platform inspired by former President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda and a pledge to stop the rise of RINO or Republican-in-name-only Congress members.
“A weak Republican is more dangerous than a Democrat,” Mr. Gibson said in an interview with The Washington Times.
Mr. Gibson is running on securing borders, limiting taxes, tightening law and order policies and enhancing election security.
Though his sexual orientation sets him apart in his bid to join Congress, Mr. Gibson isn’t promoting himself as a gay man and rails against identity politics as intentionally divisive.
He has also consistently attacked the Biden administration on their LGBT priorities, accusing them of confusing a gay agenda with a liberal one.
“I am so sick of the radical left projecting what makes them crazy onto the rest of us,” Mr. Gibson said in a Twitter video. “I happen to be an America First, constitutional conservative who happens to be gay, and the left is doing so many crazy things right now that are categorizing people like myself into this weird world of agendas that are concerning other people around the country.”
Mr. Gibson formed the America First P.A.C.T., an alliance of congressional candidates seeking to uphold constitutional rights and provide policy change based on the Trump agenda.
His biggest goal, he said, is to erect roadblocks to the Biden agenda and hold Democrats accountable with investigatory hearings on the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have to start getting to the bottom of a lot of things that have happened that have been ignored by the left while they’re been in power,” Mr. Gibson said. “We also need to start showing some real leadership and set ourselves up for legislation that’s drafted, ready to co-sign, and as soon as we get the White House in 2024, start acting on massive reform in this country.”
Mr. Gibson has a unique resume for a congressional candidate. His work as a marketing executive has included jobs on the set of hit Hollywood television shows such as “Glee” and with the Ugandan government designing public relations campaigns to protect mountain gorillas.
Despite distancing himself from traditional LGBT issues, Mr. Gibson said he’s received anonymous emails accusing him of trying to impose a “gay agenda” on the country.
One email shared his experience working on a marketing campaign to promote music education for the Fox show “Glee” and accepting a speaking invitation to an event with the Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative LGBT group.
Mr. Gibson dismissed the attacks, saying he wants to identify himself solely as an American in his bid for office.
“Every person has an opportunity to identify themselves as a potential victim or to stand out or focus on what makes them different, but we need to start leading by example and show pride in simply identifying ourselves as Americans and what unites us,” Mr. Gibson said. “If I want to make history, the best possible way to do that is to win based on my policy vision.”
Mr. Gibson faces a crowded primary taking on Mr. Newhouse, who faces six Republicans and one Democratic challenger to overtake the newly created, largely rural Washington 4th district.
Trump-endorsed former police chief Loren Culp, state Rep. Brad Klippert and ex-NASCAR driver Jerrod Sessler are among the Republicans in the race. Digital marketer Doug White is the sole Democrat vying for the seat.
Mr. Newhouse is one of several Republicans being targeted by Mr. Trump over their vote to impeach him in the House. Others who took the same position announced their retirements.
His campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this report.
Mr. Gibson said it’s important to call out anti-Trump Republicans in a climate that’s put the majority of the party behind the former president’s agenda. He agreed with Mr. Trump’s push to oust those members, such as Mr. Newhouse.
“We do have to call people out who are not currently in the best interest of our nation,” Mr. Gibson said. “I’m willing to bet the American people are going to give us a strong mandate to get us back to America First policies, which we always thought we were pursuing. We always thought that’s what we were fighting for, but it wasn’t until Trump that we realized we weren’t.”
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
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