New reporting revealed that Minnesota House GOP candidate Stephen Doerr has an alarming right-wing history consisting of encouraging individuals to fly the Confederate flag, pushing conspiracies about President Obama, and referring to Islam as a “plague.” His dangerous and racist rhetoric doesn’t end there, Doerr was also previously arrested and charged with felony false imprisonment, reckless endangerment, and possessing a loaded firearm. The Minnesota Reformer story includes details of Doerr allegedly threatening individuals, including the mother of one of his children, with a gun at a party in Wisconsin. In stark contrast, long-time Minnesota DFLer Rep. Gene Pelowski has spent his career pushing for legislation that protects Minnesotan families.
“From spewing racist conspiracies to wielding a deadly weapon, GOP-backed candidate Stephen Doerr is vehemently disqualified and has no place representing Minnesotan families,” said DLCC Executive Director Heather Williams. “Will the RSLC and Minnesota GOP disavow Doerr’s horrific history, or give a green light to yet another candidate promoting dangerous MAGA right-wing views? The stakes in this election continue to grow, and one thing is clear: the only way to ensure Republicans like Doerr stay out of power is to elect Democrats in Minnesota.”
Stephen Doerr is also one of the 24 Minnesota GOP candidates on the DLCC’s Threats to Democracy site. The database is the most comprehensive account of state legislators and state legislative candidates who continue to normalize anti-democratic extremism and are complicit in the ongoing attack on our democracy. With more than 7,300 state legislative seats nationwide, the research for this project is ongoing, and the list continues to grow.
###
