A gubernatorial candidate in Missouri who claims to be an ‘honorary’ member of the Klu Klux Klan can remain on the Republican primary ballot, a judge ruled Friday.
The state GOP tried to kick Darrell McClanahan III from the Republican gubernatorial primary after the Anti-Defamation League published an article detailing McClanahan’s extremist history. The article included photos of McClanahan doing a Nazi salute in front of a burning cross with KKK members.
In court documents McClanahan described himself as a “Pro-White man.” He denies being a member of the KKK, claiming instead to have only received an “Honorary 1-year membership” by a KKK Missouri coordinator.
McClanahan also denies attending a cross burning, arguing that it was a “private religious Christian Identity Cross lighting ceremony.”
Circuit court Judge Cotton Walker denied the state Republican party request to kick McClanahan off the ballot. Walker wrote in his ruling that “the Plaintiff did not present to the Court any evidence that having McClanahan on a primary election ballot would cause it any injury.”
The Missouri Republican Party “has made clear that it does not endorse his candidacy, and it remains free to publicly disavow McClanahan and any opinions the plaintiff believes to be antithetical to its values,” Walker added.
McClanahan is running in a crowded Republican primary field to replace Gov. Mike Parson (R) who is barred from running for re-election due to term limit. The field includes Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and state Sen. Bill Eigel.
In a statement to the Associated Press, McClanahan’s lawyer, Dave Roland said the ruling ensures that party leaders do not have “almost unlimited discretion to choose who’s going to be allowed on a primary ballot.”
Roland added that the point of the lawsuit was likely to create a public showing to indicate that the Missouri GOP is trying to distance themselves from his client and they never had any intention of winning the case.
“I’m not sure they ever actually intended to win this case,” said Roland. “I think the case got filed because the Republican Party wanted to make a very big public show that they don’t want to be associated with racism or anti-Semitism. And the best way that they could do that was filing a case that they knew was almost certain to lose.”
