California Republican Ted Howze loses GOP help after ‘disturbing’ social media posts
California Republican Ted Howze on Wednesday was removed from a GOP website that promotes 2020 congressional candidates and rebuked by House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy after a second batch of “disturbing” social media posts on his accounts was uncovered.
Howze, the Republican challenger to Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, has been taken off the National Republican Congressional Committee’s “Young Guns” website that promotes promising challengers to sitting Democrats.
Howze lost the spot after the news organization Politico in separate news stories this month published reports detailing social media posts from the candidate’s accounts that disparaged Muslims, immigrants and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“The content in question on Mr. Howze’s social media channels is disappointing and disturbing,” McCarthy said in a written statement. “Bigotry and hateful rhetoric — in any form — have no place in the Republican Party. These posts are unacceptable and do not reflect the Mr. Howze that I have briefly interacted with,” McCarthy said, adding he would take “immediate action” “if Mr. Howze is found to be the originator of these posts.”
Howze’s campaign previously told The Modesto Bee after some of those posts were reported by Politico that someone else with access to his account posted them, but he did not agree with them. Tim Rosales, his campaign manager, declined to name the person.
Rosales said “people he (Howze) knew, people he was familiar with made these comments (and retweets). He’s very upset. This is not who he is. He really is disgusted by the whole thing.”
When Politico reported on additional posts on Wednesday, Howze’s campaign declined to comment. Some of the posts were signed “Ted Howze American Citizen.”
Howze had been promoted on the “Young Guns” program, which the NRCC describes as candidates who “represent the most competitive congressional seats in the 2020 election cycle.” Howze no longer appeared on the website Wednesday night.
“These statements are unacceptable and not indicative of the Republican Party and what we are building here at the NRCC with our diverse slate of candidates,” said NRCC Chairman Tom Emmer, R-Minnesota, in a statement Wednesday.
McCarthy had endorsed Howze, and his statement Wednesday night did not officially pull that backing. Emmer expressed support for Howze after he advanced in California’s primary in March and the NRCC said Thursday it is now pulling its endorsement.
Howze, a veterinarian and former Turlock city councilman, in a statement from his campaign Wednesday said the posts “do not represent who Dr. Howze is, nor or ever.”
“Dr. Howze agrees with Chairman Emmer and Leader McCarthy that these are disgusting and he absolutely disagrees with the negative and ugly ideas,” Howze’s campaign said in a statement.
Some of the posts were deleted more than two years ago, but others remained on Howze’s social media pages Wednesday. Howze also ran for the same congressional seat in the 2018 election, but came in third in the primary behind then-Rep. Jeff Denham and current Rep. Harder, D-Turlock.
Some of those social media posts include:
“European leaders are willfully ceding their continent to religious extremists following the teachings of their Pedophile Prophet Mohamed ... ,” states one Facebook post referencing Muslims and the need for the United States to separate itself from Europe.
Responding to a tweet from U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, calling for Trump’s impeachment, with “How do we impeach say a Southern California Congresswoman who’s been hitting the crack pipe too hard?”
A retweet disparaging Palestinian-American organizer Linda Sarsour, saying if is she is the average Muslim woman than “I finally understand why so many Muslim men would rather copulate with a goat!”
This story was updated at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 21 to reflect the NRCC’s decision to pull its endorsement of Howze.
This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 8:59 PM.
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