EXCLUSIVE REPORTING: Illinois GOP Official Affiliates with Extremist Groups & Shares Racist Posts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new investigative report released today by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) Hatewatch reveals that an official in Illinois’ DuPage County Republican Party is a leader in a radical parent group, affiliates with extremist groups and has a history of bigoted rhetoric and sharing racist posts on social media.
Republican Precinct Committeeperson Terry Newsome, who frequently appears in local and national media, has a well-documented history of far-right activity.
“It is deeply troubling that Terry Newsome serves in a leadership position within the local Republican Party and, worse still, that he is often provided a platform by local and national media to spread his message of hate,” said Jeff Tischauser, senior research analyst with the SPLC’s Intelligence Project, who wrote the report. “When local media presents his views without the context of his organized far-right activity, they’re unwittingly lending legitimacy to his extremism.”
The report details Newsome’s troubling activity, including his:
- Work leading a hard-right parents' group and collaboration with the radical parent group Moms for Liberty, both aimed at alienating LGBTQ+ students and preventing lessons on the nation’s long history of systemic racism.
- Ties to and activity with the Proud Boys.
- Active presence on hard-right social media, where he displays his extremist views and affiliations.
- Targeting of the LGBTQ community, including his efforts to organize a local chapter of the anti-LGBTQ hate group MassResistance.
- Long history of attempting to shut down community events associated with LGBTQ+ inclusion, both through online platforms and in-person protest.
Read the full report here: https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2022/11/30/illinois-radical-parent-activist-has-hate-group-ties-history-racist-posts
