GOP campaign arm withdraws support from NJ House candidate who made racist statements

The House Republican campaign arm on Monday withdrew its support from New Jersey congressional candidate Seth Grossman (R) after he was found to have shared racist articles on social media.

Rep. Steve Stivers (Ohio), the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), said in a statement to The Hill that the group is calling on Grossman to “reconsider his candidacy.” Grossman is running to replace Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), who is retiring at the end of his current term

“Bigotry has no place in society — let alone the U.S. House of Representatives. The NRCC withdraws our support of Seth Grossman and calls on him to reconsider his candidacy,” Stivers said.

{mosads}”The people of New Jersey’s 2nd District deserve an inclusive Republican candidate who will be a trusted conservative voice in Congress,” he added.

The NRCC distanced itself from Grossman hours after a Media Matters report detailed additional racist articles Grossman had shared on social media. He reportedly shared opinion pieces published on two white nationalist websites, including one that labeled black people as a “threat to all who cross their paths.” 

CNN reported last month that Grossman has a history of making made racist and anti-Muslim comments on his Facebook page and blog. He called diversity “a bunch of crap,” and called Kwanzaa a “phony holiday,” among other remarks.

Grossman, who won a Republican primary last month, is set to face state Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D), who won the Democratic primary in the race for LoBiondo’s seat.

Democrats have targeted the seat as one they believe they can flip in this year’s midterms. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election analysis site, rates the race as “likely Democratic.”