According to a new report from the Arizona Republic, Arizona Republican Secretary of State nominee Mark Finchem is refusing to rescind his endorsement of “an Oklahoma senate candidate with a history of homophobic and antisemitic views,” and is instead deciding to double-down with his own antisemitic beliefs.
Back in June, Finchem endorsed Jarrin Jackson, who has come under fire in recent weeks for saying Jews are evidence that “evil exists” and that being gay is a “gateway to pedophilia.” The endorsement followed a $5,300 donation from Jackson to Finchem’s primary campaign.
Unsurprisingly, Finchem and Jackson share many of the same ideologies. Finchem — a longtime member of the Oath Keepers — has invoked the Holocaust to argue against gun control, compared Obama to Adolf Hitler, and regularly spreads debunked antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Arizona Republic: After backlash to controversial endorsement, Lake changes course while Finchem and Rogers stay quiet
By: Stacey Barchenger & Mary Jo Pitzl | August 22, 2022
Key Points:
- “Facing blowback after doling out endorsements to an Oklahoma senate candidate with a history of homophobic and antisemitic views, top Republican candidates for office in Arizona split between changing course and dodging scrutiny Monday.”
- “Mark Finchem, the Republican candidate for secretary of state, deflected a question about his endorsement, which Jackson promoted in June. Jackson donated $5,300, the maximum allowed under Arizona law, to Finchem’s campaign in March, state records show.”
- “Finchem deflected when asked why he endorsed Jackson and if he stood by his position, given media coverage of Jackson’s controversial statements.”
- “‘A bit odd that the media is silent on Soros?’ he wrote in a text message to The Republic. ‘Zero scrutiny on a Nazi collaborator.’”
- “One of the conspiracy theories targeting Soros is that as a 14-year-old he worked with the Nazis to deport other Hungarian Jews to concentration camps and that he stole property from Jews who had been deported or killed. Those theories were explored and debunked in various news reports.”
- “When pressed for an answer on his endorsement of Jackson, Finchem again invoked Soros and linked to a Fox News opinion piece from 2015 questioning ‘Why Don’t We Hear About Soros’ Ties to Over 30 Major News Organizations?’”
- “The opinion piece lists three news organizations — NPR, Pro Publica and the Center for Public Integrity — which received direct funding from Soros’ Open Society Foundation.”
Read the full report here.
Published: Aug 23, 2022 | Last Modified: Aug 28, 2022