A Missouri judge has ruled that a longshot gubernatorial candidate with ties to the Ku Klux Klan will remain on the Republican ticket for the upcoming primary election. Cole County Circuit Court Judge Cotton Walker denied a request by the Missouri GOP to remove Darrell McClanahan from the August Republican primary ballot.
McClanahan, who describes himself as 'pro-white' but denies being racist or antisemitic, is running against several other candidates for the GOP nomination to replace Gov. Mike Parson, who is term-limited. The Missouri GOP had accepted McClanahan's party dues but distanced themselves from him after photos surfaced showing him making the Nazi salute.
In his ruling, Judge Walker emphasized that the Republican Party is free to disavow McClanahan and his beliefs publicly. McClanahan's lawyer, Dave Roland, argued that the party should not have almost unlimited discretion in choosing who can run in a primary election.
McClanahan had previously run as a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022 and has been involved in legal battles over allegations of white supremacy. He claimed in a lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League that he is a 'Pro-White man' and not a member of the Ku Klux Klan, despite receiving an honorary one-year membership.
The Missouri GOP has stated that they were not aware of McClanahan's beliefs when he filed as a candidate in February. The party's lawyers have indicated that they did not intend to win the case to remove him from the ballot but wanted to publicly distance themselves from racism and anti-Semitism.
Despite the controversy surrounding his candidacy, Darrell McClanahan will remain on the Republican primary ballot in Missouri as the gubernatorial race continues to unfold.
