GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner Refuses To Back Democrat Running Against Neo-Nazi Arthur Jones

In a Chicago-area congressional district, the Republicans nominated a self-declared neo-Nazi, white nationalist and Holocaust denier. And Republican Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner still refuses to encourage voters to back the competing Democratic nominee instead.

The Republican Party now faces an enormous embarrassment after Arthur Jones won the GOP primary. After the GOP establishment failed to find its own nominee, Jones was left as the only competing Republican on the ballot. Jones, who told Politico he’s running to counter a “two-party, Jew-party, queer-party system,” has been described as a “political disaster” by GOP State Rep. David McSweeney.

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On Friday, GOP Texas Sen. Ted Cruz urged residents of the district to either write in a candidate or vote for the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Dan Lipinski.

Illinois Gov. Rauner, who is the largest contributor to the Illinois GOP, was not as defiant in his opposition. When asked if Republican voters should instead cast a ballot for the Democratic nominee, Rauner broke with Cruz and said “No,” according to WCIA TV. “The one thing I will say is the person, that guy, Johnson or whatever his name is, should not be on the ballot.”

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Despite the party’s condemnation of the candidate, some say Republicans like Rauner haven’t done enough. “It’s not enough to denounce Jones … do something about it.”  said Steve Sheffey, a pro-Israel activist who authors a Jewish newsletter in Chicago. “They didn’t run a candidate against him in the primary. They’re not running against him in the general. And they’re not endorsing Lipinski. Then what are they doing?”