ST. PAUL [10/2/20]–GOP Senate candidate Jason Lewis has a long history of making derogatory remarks about the Black community. He’s declared “white lives matter,” said “the problem in the Black community is the gangsta culture,” and said that Black people have an “entitlement mentality.” He also claimed that Black people on welfare only “substituted one plantation for another.”
Lewis even went so far as to call young teenager Trayvon Martin–who was brutally murdered by George Zimmerman–a “thug” and “not a good kid.” He said Zimmerman was “being a good Samaritan.” Lewis went on to ask, “What are neighborhood watches supposed to do?”
Lewis has been asked about these prior comments, but has ignored addressing them directly.
JASON LEWIS’ RACIST VIEWS ARE DIVISIVE TO MINNESOTANS IN A TIME IN NEED OF LEADERSHIP AND UNITY
CNN: “Lewis Made Racist Comments About African-Americans.” “Republican Rep. Jason Lewis has repeatedly demeaned recipients of welfare and government assistance, calling them ‘parasites’ and ‘scoundrels,’ and said the black community had ‘traded one plantation for another.’ Lewis made the comments on a conservative radio show he hosted, ‘The Jason Lewis Show,’ from 2009 to 2012. CNN’s KFile previously reported that Lewis made racist comments about African-Americans and lamented not being able to call women ‘sluts’ on his program.” [CNN, 7/26/18]
CNN: “GOP Congressman Said Blacks Have ‘Entitlement Mentality’ And View Themselves As Victims.”
-
Lewis Said Black People Had An Entitlement Mentality And Viewed Themselves As Victims. Republican Rep. Jason Lewis has a long history of racist rhetoric about African-Americans, pushing claims of a ‘racial war’ by blacks on whites and arguing that violence regularly occurs at black gatherings. He also frequently claimed that black people have an ‘entitlement mentality’ and viewed themselves as victims. Lewis made those comments on ‘The Jason Lewis Show,’ a syndicated radio program Lewis hosted from 2009 until 2014 with the tagline ‘America’s Mr. Right.’ CNN’s KFile obtained five months of audio from Michael Brodkorb, the former deputy chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota. Brodkorb, who is currently a columnist for the MinnPost and works in public affairs, initially reported on several comments from Lewis in 2016. KFile contacted Brodkorb to request the raw audio files of Lewis’ show, which he provided.” [CNN, 7/21/18]
CNN: “GOP Rep. Jason Lewis Called People On Government Assistance ‘Parasites,’ Said Blacks On Welfare ‘Plantation.’”
-
Lewis Compared Being On Welfare To Being Enslaved, Arguing That Black People On Welfare Had “Substituted One Plantation For Another.” “In another episode, Lewis compared being on welfare to being enslaved, arguing that the welfare state had ‘substituted one plantation for another.’ ‘It is hard to overestimate the damage — go back to Martin Luther King and the struggle for black equality — where blacks, in our sorry history, I mean, this really is a blemish on the American dream or the American experience — blacks fought so hard, indeed, and alongside a number of whites, thankfully, who fought so hard so blacks could take care of themselves and not be told what to do,’ Lewis said in April 2012. ‘Now, you’ve got the modern welfare state that tells black folks and Hispanic folks and poor white folks: ‘Don’t worry. We’ll take care of you.’ What is the difference? You’ve substituted one plantation for another.’” [CNN, 7/27/18]
Huffington Post: “Trump’s Pick In Minnesota Senate Race Has A History Of Racist Comments.” [Huffington Post, 2/18/20]
-
Lewis: “The Problem In The Black Community Is The Gangsta Culture. The Problem In The Black Community, In All Ethnic Communities, And In Poor White Communities Is Out-Of-Wedlock Birth Rates.” “In the same show, Lewis went off on ‘the real problem’ with race in America: People having children without getting married first. ‘The problem in the Black community is the gangsta culture. The problem in the Black community, in all ethnic communities, and in poor white communities is out-of-wedlock birth rates,’ he said.” [Huffington Post, 2/18/20]
-
Lewis Compared Progressive Tax Brackets To Slavery, Saying, “We Used To Call This Slavery When We Did It By Race. Now We Do It By Economics, So I Guess It’s OK. “In July 2015, Lewis argued that rich people were paying too much in taxes compared to those at the bottom of the income scale. Making another bizarre analogy, this time between tax brackets and enslavement, he said: ‘We used to call this slavery when we did it by race. Now we do it by economics, so I guess it’s OK.’” [Huffington Post, 2/18/20]
MinnPost:“Jason Lewis Has Called The Death Of George Floyd ‘Tragic.’ He Had Very Different Words After The Death Of Trayvon Martin.” [MinnPost, 7/2/20]
-
Lewis Called Trayvon Martin “A Thug” And “Not A Good Kid.” “Jason Lewis, the endorsed Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, said in previously unreported comments that Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old Black high school student shot and killed by George Zimmerman in 2012, was a ‘thug’ and ‘not a good kid.’ In 2013, Zimmerman was acquitted at trial after claiming he killed Martin in self-defense. According to audio reviewed by MinnPost, Lewis said on his radio show in 2013: ‘Trayvon Martin was a thug. Trayvon Martin was a kid in trouble already. He was not a saint. He was not a role model. Let me clear about this: He was not a good kid.’ Lewis said that Zimmerman was ‘being a good Samaritan’ the night he killed Martin. He added: ‘What are neighborhood watches supposed to do!’” [MinnPost, 7/2/20]
-
Lewis Said That George Zimmerman “Was Being A Good Samaritan” The Night Of His Altercation With Trayvon Martin. “Jason Lewis, the endorsed Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, said in previously unreported comments that Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old Black high school student shot and killed by George Zimmerman in 2012, was a ‘thug’ and ‘not a good kid.’ In 2013, Zimmerman was acquitted at trial after claiming he killed Martin in self-defense. According to audio reviewed by MinnPost, Lewis said on his radio show in 2013: ‘Trayvon Martin was a thug. Trayvon Martin was a kid in trouble already. He was not a saint. He was not a role model. Let me clear about this: He was not a good kid.’ Lewis said that Zimmerman was ‘being a good Samaritan’ the night he killed Martin. He added: ‘What are neighborhood watches supposed to do!’” [MinnPost, 7/2/20]