Whitman County GOP looking to stop white nationalist from taking elected seat in party

Drew Reeves by Drew Reeves

A white nationalist who was elected to represent the Whitman County GOP may never get his seat if the party has their way.

James Allsup made national headlines nearly a year ago when videos showed him participating in the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. That rally ended in massive clashes between white supremacists and protesters. One woman was killed when a white supremacist plowed a car into a crowd of people.

Now, Allsup has been elected as a precinct committee officer for the Whitman County Republican Party. He signed up without a challenger and state law says if you make it through the filing period uncontested then you are automatically elected.

While Allsup was elected to a position in the Whitman County GOP, a PCO is a fairly low-level position. It consists mostly of going out into neighborhoods to knock and doors and share campaign information for your party’s candidate.

“They get a sense of what’s going on in the community and bring those issues to the party to discuss,” said Art Swannack, the state committeeman for the Whitman County GOP.

But, there’s another aspect of the job that seems more appealing to Allsup. He discussed it in a recent podcast with Identity Evropa. If someone leaves office within the party, the precinct committee officers are the ones who vote on the candidates that come to be selected.

“So, when the board is then deciding between, you know, the anti-white, pro-business, pro-migrant candidate, or the more perhaps implicitly pro-white, anti-immigration candidate, you have the opportunity to then be a convincing and, perhaps, deciding voice in that process,” Allsup said in that podcast.

Identity Evropa is an organization that says it’s main goal is to make the world a better place for people of European descent.

Those beliefs are exactly why Swannack wants to make sure Allsup doesn’t get his seat.

“So, what we’re doing is going through the bylaws and looking as to whether or not we have to seat him and what the rules are on that,” Swannack said.

Allsup was denounced by leaders at nearly every level of the state republican party. The Spokane GOP and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers both released statements about Allsup’s election.

Spokane County GOP Chair Cecily Wright issued a statement that said in part, “Mr. Allsup has never been affiliated in any official capacity with the Spokane County GOP. His past statements, affiliations and actions are deeply out-of-step with the values of the Republican Party, as well as the values of the Spokane County GOP and our members. The Spokane County GOP remains committed to standing against white supremacy, racism, and bigotry in all forms.”

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers issued a separate statement reading, “I was disappointed today when I heard the news that James Allsup is being allowed to represent the Whitman County GOP. I don’t have a relationship with him, but I know what he stands for. His actions and words do not reflect the values of the Republican party or Eastern Washington.”

“Advocating things that say throw everybody out, or using some of the language I saw in that video regarding people of other colors is not appropriate,” Swannack said.

But, Allsup posted on Facebook that he isn’t phased by the backlash. In his podcast with Identity Evropa, Allsup said he believes this is the beginning of a movement of white nationalists getting into politics.

“This political involvement is a means to our political ends,” he said.

Allsup did not respond to a request from KXLY for comment.

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