GOP House Nominee Declared "Straight Month" Then Refused to Back Down
A Republican nominee for a Connecticut state House seat posted messages declaring a “Straight Month” and attacking the LGBTQ community
After drawing condemnation from both parties, the candidate refused to apologize and defended his remarks
He cast himself as the future of a Republican Party he said had grown “weak and complacent”
A Republican candidate for an Eastern Connecticut state House seat attacked the LGBTQ community in a series of social media posts this week and then refused to back down, dismissing bipartisan criticism and casting himself as the future of his party.
Jadon MacCormack, 23, of Brooklyn, the GOP nominee in the 50th House District, posted a message early Tuesday declaring a “Straight Month” and pledging to fight what he called the corrupting influence of LGBTQ people. June marks Pride Month, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots.
“As your State Representative, I, Jadon MacCormack, would stand firmly against the Transgender and LGBT movement that has for too long corrupted our families, undermined parental authority, and eroded the foundational values of our society,” he wrote on Facebook. In the same post, he proclaimed, “Happy Straight Month! It’s American to be Anti-Pride Month.”
The posts were not an isolated outburst. House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, who condemned MacCormack’s actions, told the CT Mirror that MacCormack had previously shared posts containing violent imagery, including a picture of a noose with the message “The Bible got it right,” posted after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. The political blog Daily Ructions reported that MacCormack also “liked” a Facebook post calling for violence against LGBTQ people.
Democratic leaders responded as well. House Speaker Matt Ritter and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas called the posts “hateful” in a joint statement and said it was “sickening” that a candidate would bring such rhetoric toward a chamber that includes LGBTQ+ members and staff.
Rather than apologize once the posts drew attention, MacCormack dug in. He dismissed the criticism as evidence of weakness within his own party and presented himself as a corrective.
“There is a clear reason Connecticut is in such deep decline: too many Republicans in office have grown weak and complacent,” he said, according to the CT Mirror. “What the party desperately needs is the bold, principled mindset that young conservatives like myself are bringing to the fight.”
MacCormack, a religious podcaster who features his gospel singing among his campaign credentials, hosts a YouTube program on which he describes himself as a fundamentalist adherent of the King James Bible. He is challenging Rep. Pat Boyd, D-Pomfret, who has represented the seven-town district for a decade.
By Kevin Coughlin
Just another ignorant,racist punk in the Christian Nationalist Republican Party pushing the limits of free speech. I would hope every Republican office holder in Connecticut would aggressively push back on this hateful rhetoric! Yet another example why the Republican Party will lose everything in November.
Another idiot fronts the Party of Trump for the hatred that provides, when we're most in need of protecting human rights and humanity.