Illinois GOP Launches Ad Campaign Against ‘Neo-Nazi’ Congressional Candidate

The Illinois Republican Party announced on March 5 that it is launching an advertising campaign to defeat avowed Holocaust denier Arthur Jones in a congressional race.

Jones won the 2018 GOP congressional primary in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District, which encompasses the southwest side of Chicago, because the state GOP couldn’t find a candidate to oppose him in the heavily Democratic district. Jones lost in the general election to incumbent Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.).

With Jones running again in the March 17 primary, the state GOP has gone all-in on Republican candidate Mike Fricilone to ensure that Jones doesn’t win again. According to the Chicago Tribune, the party will spend nearly $250,000 in its campaign to defeat Jones.

“Arthur Jones is a neo-Nazi, an anti-Semite and a Holocaust denier,” Illinois GOP chair Tim Schneider told the Tribune. “He is not a Republican. He has no place in a civil society.”

Among the ads the party will run against Jones include ads that state “Say No to the Nazi” and “Arthur Jones Is a Nazi. Seriously. Vote No on Arthur Jones on March 17,” according to the Chicago Sun Times.

Jones’ past comments include calling the Holocaust an “overblown event” and said he was running to defeat “two-party, Jew-party, queer-party system.” When he won the 2018 primary, Jones told Politico,” I snookered [the state GOP]!”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called on Republicans at the time to oppose Jones.

“To the good people of Illinois, you have two reasonable choices: write in another candidate, or vote for the Democrat,” he tweeted. “This bigoted fool should receive ZERO votes.”

This is horrific. An avowed Nazi running for Congress. To the good people of Illinois, you have two reasonable choices: write in another candidate, or vote for the Democrat. This bigoted fool should receive ZERO votes. https://t.co/9WYlvCMKaF

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 29, 2018

The Simon Wiesenthal Center tweeted on March 5, “What a difference two years makes. Illinois Republicans take action against #Nazi candidate in 2020 #ArthurJones.”

What a difference two years makes. Illinois Republicans take action against #Nazi candidate in 2020 #ArthurJones https://t.co/NpihV306rL via @SunTimes

— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) March 5, 2020