CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The West Virginia Democratic Party is calling on Republican House of Delegates candidate Chris Clagett to withdraw from the race for District 91 following scrutiny of comments he made on social media.
The party is also calling on Republican leaders, including House Speaker Roger Hanshaw and West Virginia Republican Party Chairman Josh Holstein, to publicly respond to Clagett’s comments.
West Virginia Watch reported Monday that Clagett made several posts on X targeting Black women and African Americans.
In a January post, Clagett wrote that Black women are “the most ill-mannered, ill-behaved, loud-mouthed demographics on the face of the Earth.” The outlet also reported that Clagett’s social media activity included references to African Americans as “savages” and Black women as “sheboons.”
West Virginia Democratic Party Chairman Mike Pushkin called for Hanshaw and Holstein to publicly address the comments.
“These statements are abhorrent and should receive universal condemnation. I am calling on Speaker Hanshaw and Chairman Holstein to say clearly and publicly whether they repudiate Clagett for his racist, divisive language. West Virginians deserve to know where their leaders stand when statements like these are made by someone seeking public office.”
House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle also responded to the controversy.
“I appreciate free speech and all that comes with it, but there is also a thing called hate speech, which I’ve never condoned from anyone. Hate speech leads to actions of hate that can’t be tolerated by people charged with governing and creating the laws by which we live.”
West Virginia Watch reported that Holstein declined to comment on Clagett’s comments when contacted Monday. A House communications official told the outlet she had not yet been able to speak with Hanshaw about the matter.
Clagett is the Republican candidate for House District 91, which includes part of Berkeley County. He is facing Democratic candidate David Michaels in the Nov. 3 general election.
