Holocaust Denier Running for Alabama AG

An atheist who denies the Holocaust, wants to shoot illegal aliens, and legalize drugs is running for Attorney General of Alabama as a Democrat.

A Democratic candidate for Alabama attorney general denies the Holocaust occurred and said Friday he will speak this weekend in New Jersey to a “pro-white” organization that is widely viewed as being racist. Larry Darby concedes his views are radical, but he said they should help him win wide support among Alabama voters as he tries to “reawaken white racial awareness” with his campaign against Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson.

The state Democratic chairman, Joe Turnham, said the party became aware of some of Darby’s views only days ago and was considering what to do about his candidacy. “Any type of hatred toward groups of people, especially for political gain, is completely unacceptable in the Alabama Democratic Party,” said Turnham.

[…]

A poll published last month indicated the Democratic race for attorney general was up for grabs. The survey showed 21 percent favored Tyson to 12 percent for Darby, but 68 percent of respondents were undecided.

Darby, founder of the Atheist Law Center and a longtime supporter of separation of church and state, said he has no money for campaign advertising and has made only a few campaign speeches.

Tyson said aside from his views on race and the Holocaust, Darby also has publicly advocated legalizing drugs and shooting all illegal immigrants. “I am astonished as anyone has ever been that anyone is running for public office in Alabama on that platform,” said Tyson. “I do not take him as a serious candidate.”

[…]

The winner of the Democratic primary on June 6 will face either Republican Attorney General Troy King or Mark Montiel, who is opposing King in the GOP primary.

Having graduated high school and college in Alabama, where my parents still reside, I can assure you that this nut’s views are not widespread. Once they’re known, I’m reasonably sure he won’t win the Democratic nomination for AG. Regardless, Troy King is quite popular and will almost certainly win re-election.

Furthermore, the fact of the matter is that anyone who completes minimal filing requirements can get on a primary ballot in Alabama and most states. The fact that someone is “running” in a party primary really says virtually nothing about the party. Indeed, attempts to tarnish Democrats, the South, atheists, or libertarians because of this guy are just silly.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Its as silly as tarnishing republicans because of someone like David Duke.

    If memory serves (and as my children point out I am ooooollllldddd, so it may not), David Duke slipped through the cracks by running unopposed in a primary. He was then the ‘republican’ candidate. Republican party officials took the unusual step of endorsing the democratic candidate.

    The only way this really can be linked to the party as a whole is either high level endorsements, he wins a contested primary or he becomes the democratic candidate and the democrats don’t disown him.

  2. Bithead says:

    If it says nothing about Democrats, when may we see Democrats announcing this idiot?

    Democrats for years have been lambasting republicans with David Duke this and David Duke that. Please do get back to us when we see a long line of Democrats going after one of their own….

    It should be just about the time we see guess back down to 75¢ a gallon.

  3. James Joyner says:

    yaj/Bithead: Agreed on the Duke comparison. True, Duke was the Republican nominee for governor and Senator but he was widely denounced by Republicans.

    The Democratic chairman in Alabama has in fact denounced this guy, who’s running for a comparatively minor office, before his primary has even gotten underway.

  4. scott says:

    I didn’t “tarnish” anyone except those deserving to be “tarnished”. The guy is an avowed anti-Semite and racist. He’s also a Democrat. I stated the facts however inconvenient.

  5. James Joyner says:

    Scott: So, there are no racists and anti-Semites anywhere in the GOP?

  6. FreedomOfSpeech says:

    If the Democratic Party continues to allow these old Dixiecrat Racist like Webb and Darby to infiltrate our party,then I will leave.I am not about to give back Congress to the Ku Klux Klan

  7. scott says:

    I don’t think I even intimated that James. The Dems always are the first to hit us on anything racial, misogynistic or same-sex related when you know as well as I that the center-right blogosphere and the center-right in general is very accepting.

    If I can point out their hypocrisy, I will.

    Pointing out that Al Gore’s father fillibustered the Civil Rights Act is an example.

    If you would’ve read any other post on my blog you’d have seen what I write. I read what you write, show me the respect of reading what I do before panning me.

  8. James Joyner says:

    scott,

    Your comments, minus quotes from the article, in their entirety:

    Note to the Alabama Democrats, we have enough incompetent donk riff-raff in this state without sending us yours:

    [EXCERPT FROM ARTICLE]

    More proof of which party is the true party of inclusion and Howie Dean is not its leader. He should go over real well in the thoroughly democratic Newark.

    What, aside from implying this guy is representative of Democrats and/or Alabama, would we take from your post?

  9. Lee P says:

    I have posted several entries on Mr. Darby over at my blog.