Kansas Republicans are under fire for holding a fundraiser Friday night where participants physically attacked an effigy resembling President Biden, according to video footage shared on social media over the weekend.
The event, held Friday in Overland Park, Kan., the state’s second-largest city, was hosted by the Johnson County Republican Party and billed as “A Grand Ol’ Party: Johnson County Road to Red Event.”
The Kansas City Star was first to report the footage. A video of the event shows participants punching and kicking what appears to be a physical opponent – a lifelike mannequin with a head and torso often used for self-defense training – wearing a mask that resembles Mr Biden’s face. The mannequin wore a T-shirt that read “Let’s Go Brandon,” a phrase that was taken as a cipher for insults directed at Mr. Biden. Participants also appeared to bump into karate boards that had the same derogatory slogan written on them.
The footage, originally posted on online video platform Rumble, was removed, according to The Star, but the clips were shared by accounts such as “Republicans against Trump” on X.
Maria Holiday, chairwoman of the Johnson County Republican Party, said the event featured an “interactive self-defense” exhibit, which is why the training bag was there.
“The Johnson County Republican Party’s successful series of events this past weekend was marred by a brief incident in which a mask depicting President Biden was added to an interactive self-defense demonstration,” Ms. Holiday said in a statement. “The mask was unfortunately removed. No one collected or solicited money or donations in return for hitting the exercise machine.”
She told The Star that the “booth was hosted by a karate school to promote their self-defense course.”
Michael Kuckelman, who served as chairman of the Kansas Republican Party from 2019 to 2023, condemned the attack on the effigy in a Facebook post on Saturday. He did not attend the event, he said in a telephone interview Monday, but shared photos posted on social media that had been brought to his attention by “concerned Republicans” to express that “the overwhelming majority the Republican in Kansas is just as disgusted as…”I am.”
“I disagree with President Biden’s policies, but he is a fellow human being,” he wrote on Facebook, calling on Ms. Holiday and Mike Brown, the state Republican Party chairman, to resign. “No one should condone or defend this terrible and shameful behavior.”
In a statement, Mr. Brown said that no one from the State party attended the event and that the State party made no contribution to the exhibitions, which he said showed “poor judgment” on the part of the external exhibitor. He said that a “disgruntled former member of the state party” – an apparent reference to Mr. Kuckelman – was trying to “capitalize” on the incident.
“It is unfortunate that the events took place and even more so the former state party member created a false narrative to spew rhetoric and capitalize on the ongoing attempts to divide the party,” he said. “The infighting and false narratives within the Republican Party are jeopardizing the outcome of the 2024 election in Kansas and across America, and they must end.”
Mr. Kuckelman, a frequent critic of Mr. Brown, said he was disappointed that the two party leaders did not immediately condemn the participants’ actions. “People see extremism on both sides, and it’s unacceptable on both sides,” he said, citing an incident in 2017 when comedian Kathy Griffin posted a video showing what appeared to be the severed head of President Donald J Trump held in his hand.
Johnson County has a large population of moderate voters who have tended to support Democrats in recent cycles. During the 2018 midterm elections, area voters supported Democrats like Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Rep. Sharice Davids, who flipped the Third Congressional District, which includes Overland Park, where the event was held. This formerly contested seat is rated as “likely Democratic” by the Cook Political Report this year.
Alex Floyd, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, called what happened at the fundraiser a “crude ploy” that highlighted the contrast between the two parties ahead of November’s general election.
Ticket prices for Friday’s fundraiser ranged from $100 to $300, according to the invitation. Ted Nugent, the rock star and outspoken conservative who supports Mr. Trump, was a keynote speaker.
In his State of the Union address last week, Mr. Biden spoke of the need to “make it clear that political violence has absolutely no place, no place, in America.” Echoing that sentiment, Democrats in the state quickly condemned the incident.
“Regardless of political party, there is absolutely no excuse for promoting or condoning violence of any kind — against a president, a political opponent, a neighbor or anyone,” Kansas Democratic Party Chairwoman Jeanna Repass said in a statement .
Kitty Bennett contributed to the research.
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2024-03-12 00:51:31
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