Holocaust Denier Wins Republican Nomination for Illinois Congressional Seat

WASHINGTON – A Holocaust denier and anti-Semitic white supremacist will officially represent the Illinois Republican Party in the Third Congressional District in the upcoming midterm elections after he ran unopposed in the party primary on Tuesday.

Arthur Jones, who has been disavowed by his own party, is very likely to lose the general election, since the district is considered as a safe Democratic seat. The very fact that he secured the nomination, however, has created negative headlines for the Republican Party in the state as well as on a national level.

Jones, 70, is a former leader of the American Nazi Party. His campaign website includes a section called “Holocaust?” in which he calls the genocide of six million Jews “the biggest blackest lie in history.”

He supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, stating that he "agrees with a lot of what Mr. Trump has to say."

Jones will face Democratic incumbent Rep. Dan Lipinski, who is considered one of the most conservative Democrats currently serving in Congress. Lipinski assured a narrow victory on Tuesday against Marie Newman, a progressive politician who challenged him for the Democratic nomination.

Neman received the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders and of the left-wing Jewish group, J Street, while Lipinski won support from groups and individuals affiliated with the right-wing parts of the Jewish community.

Illinois voters also chose the candidates for governor on Tuesday. Incumbent Republican Bruce Rauner is the apparent winner in the Republican primary, albeit by a single-digit margin. The Democrats chose J.B. Pritzker, a Jewish-American billionaire and a member of an influential local political family.

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Voting in the Democratic primary election was significantly higher than in the Republican primary, a sign of optimism on the Democratic side ahead of the November general election.