It's vitally important to vote on the entire slate of officials at the polls, from Governor and Senator, down to school board and local initiatives. State legislatures are particularly pivotal in determining Congressional district boundaries, and we've seen the effects of Rethuglican-held state legislatures over the past decade gerrymandering Dems into homogenous ghettos in order for Rethugs to win Congressional as well as statewide elections.
Moreover, it's important to know about who is representing you at the state legislative level. Case in point: Rethuglican Washington State Rep. Matt Shea. According to the Spokane Spokesman-Review, Shea has been deeply involved in far-right "Christian identity" politics embraced by so-called Aryan Nation neo-Nazis. Shea's been promoting the "Christian nation" ideology, and a screed called the "Biblical Basis for War" which advocates violence:
The document is organized in 14 sections with multiple tiers of bullet points and a smattering of biblical citations. Under one heading, “Rules of War,” it makes a chilling prescription for enemies who flout “biblical law.” It states, “If they do not yield – kill all males.” (our emphasis)The sheriff of Spokane County, WA wasn't too happy with the screed that Shea was distributing:
“The document Mr. Shea wrote is not a Sunday school project or an academic study,” Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich wrote in an email. “It is a ‘how to’ manual consistent with the ideology and operating philosophy of the Christian Identity/Aryan Nations movement and the Redoubt movement of the 1990s. Knezovich said he had obtained the document and other materials on a flash drive about six weeks ago. “I gave it straight to the FBI,” he said. (our emphasis)There's also the case of Rethuglican Missouri State assembly candidate Steve West, whose own son and daughter have denounced his racist and homophobic views and urged voters to reject him:
"A lot of his views are just very out there," Emily West told the Kansas City Star. "He's made multiple comments that are racist and homophobic and how he doesn't like the Jews."Again, there are these types of lunatics all over the country, emboldened by the racist demagoguery of Donald "Rump" Trump, running in elections below the radar. They must be exposed and stopped at the ballot box.
The Star reports Andy West said electing his father to the Legislature would legitimize his views.
"My dad's a fanatic. He must be stopped," Andy West said. "His ideology is pure hatred. It's totally insane." (our emphasis)
