The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, Stephen Wolf, and Carolyn Fiddler, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, Daniel Donner, James Lambert, David Beard, and Arjun Jaikumar.
Leading Off
●MN-02: CNN has unearthed more of Republican Rep. Jason Lewis' offensive comments from when he used to be a right-wing radio host from 2009 until 2014, and this time it comes in the form of racist statements against African-Americans. Lewis has repeatedly argued black people are "addicted" to government and have an "entitlement mentality" that leads to violence, saying that welfare did more damage to black families than Jim Crow did.
Campaign ActionIndeed, Lewis claimed white people are "the real victims of racial violence," and that "the chances today of a gang of KKK members beating up a black kid are remote compared to the opposite. A gang of black on white crime." Furthermore, Lewis asserted, "You simply can't say the same thing about other groups. But when there is a festival, a gathering, call it what you will—June 9, Juneteenth or urban weekend in Miami Beach or Myrtle Beach and Indianapolis. When there is a predominantly black festival, there's trouble." Finally, Lewis used prominent black civil rights activists such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton of "playing the race card" to oppose voter ID.
In response to CNN's story, Lewis called the use of his past statements "an orchestrated attempt at making anyone who supports reducing illegitimacy or crime in minority communities, voter ID laws, and work requirements for public assistance back off their public policy positions." Just like when CNN recently reported on Lewis' misogynistic comments during his radio tenure, the congressman has done nothing to disavow these offensive remarks.