Despite Racist Remarks, Steve King Might Win Tuesday’s Iowa Primary (original) (raw)
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The congressman has been an outcast among mainstream Republicans ever since he suggested that white nationalism was not offensive. But his four primary challengers could split the vote next week.
Representative Steve King of Iowa was removed from his committee assignments after he told The New York Times, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” Credit...Brenna Norman/Reuters
Published May 27, 2020Updated June 3, 2020
Representative Steve King’s fellow Republicans have made him a pariah in Washington.
Now his Iowa constituents will decide if it’s time to bring down the curtain on the nine-term congressman, who long stoked the immigration wars with racist remarks until he was disciplined last year in the House.
The problem for mainstream Republicans who would like to retire Mr. King in a June 2 party primary is that, with four challengers in the race, all sensing an opportunity and aggressively campaigning, the anti-King vote will be split four ways.
“Not to be Captain Obvious, but four people in the race always helps the incumbent,” said Rick Bertrand, who challenged Mr. King in the Republican primary in 2016 but is not running this year. “If this was a mano a mano race, King would be in trouble right now.”
In January 2019, Republican leaders stripped Mr. King of his House committee assignments after he suggested that white nationalism was not offensive. Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, urged Mr. King to “find another line of work.” Mr. King defiantly remained.
His penchant for incurring the wrath of party leaders has marked his campaign. Over the weekend he raised the stakes by claiming to have recorded a phone call with Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader, and contradicted Mr. McCarthy’s public statements.
Mr. King had told Iowans at a debate on May 11 that Mr. McCarthy had promised him “exoneration” and pledged to recommend “to put all of my committees back with all of my seniority.”
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