As the control of the Senate hangs in the balance, GOP candidates across the country are facing a similar problem:
Troubling and
bizarrepast statements, both
in-person and on social media, are coming back to haunt them. But in Minnesota, Royce White is an even more extreme case.
In
a tweet from 2022 that has since resurfaced, White claims that “‘bad guys” won the second world war, saying, “The bad guys won in WWII. There were no ‘good guys’ in that war. The controlling interests had a jump ball. If you look closely, you see the link between liberalism and communism in the Allied forces.”
As is
known to most, the Allied forces were fighting to defeat the Nazis and eliminate genocidal fascism that had taken hold of much of Europe and Asia, not advancing “controlling interests.” White also erroneously claimed that General George Patton was murdered; in reality, the general
died in 1945 from complications from a car crash.
White also has a habit of alienating voters, including members of his own party. In one
recent exchange, he called Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell “RINO Scum.” In another, he called National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines a “RINO & Neocon” and indicated he would “track [Republicans] down and weed [them] out if they aren’t extreme enough.”
In
one specific interaction from Monday, White told a potential voter to “pull their skirt down” and that “nobody cares about your preferences,” to which the voter replied “f— you then! You just lost my families support.”
With polls showing White trailing significantly behind incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D), his campaign faces an uphill battle that is further complicated by his erratic past and incendiary statements. White’s bizarre social media posts, as well as his abrasive interactions with members of both parties, have raised
repeatedquestions not just about his temperament but also his suitability for office.
Heartland Signal has been closely following the former NBA player’s political career since his shift into electoral politics — with some calling him the most “
unhinged, tinfoil hat” candidate in recent memory. White has long been a supporter of right-wing “intellectuals” like Jordan Peterson, Alex Jones and Glenn Beck, with him previously hosting a TV show on Jones’ Infowars network.
For the GOP, this race is emblematic of a broader challenge: candidate quality. As Republicans struggle to field competitive candidates in key battleground states, it’s becoming clear that a lack of coherent messaging and a
failure to resonate with a majority of suburban voters could be a major liability as they seek to regain control of the Senate. For now, White’s campaign appears unlikely to reverse its downward trajectory.
