Neo-Nazi Set to Win GOP Nomination in Illinois Race

Arthur Jones is running unopposed in primary
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 5, 2018 2:07 AM CST

"I hate Illinois Nazis," declared John Belushi's character in The Blues Brothers. He would not have liked Arthur Jones. Jones, a neo-Nazi who describes the Holocaust as an "extortion racket," is set to win the Republican nomination for the state's 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Chicago. The 70-year-old former leader of the American Nazi Party has lost heavily in the district's GOP primary seven times over the last 20 years, but he'll be running unopposed in the March 20 primary, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider says the party strongly rejects Jones' views and "his candidacy for any public office, including the 3rd Congressional District."

Nominations closed in December, meaning Jones, who openly states his anti-Semitic and white supremacist beliefs on his campaign website, is almost certain to appear on the ballot. He was removed after running unopposed for the GOP nomination in 2016 when members of the Illinois Republican Party questioned the legitimacy of his nominating petitions, but he appears to have obtained legitimate signatures this time, the Chicago Tribune reports. Jones has denounced Republican Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, as well as President Trump, whom he describes as having "surrounded himself with hordes of Jews." The Washington Post reports that the district is strongly Democratic and Jones is expected to lose heavily to Rep. Dan Lipinski or Democratic primary challenger Marie Newman in November. (More Illinois stories.)

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