Rauner Courts “Nativist Extremist” Leader

Rauner Called Out by Fellow Republican for Courting Anti-Immigrant Extremist

Yesterday, the Northwest Herald reported that Governor Bruce Rauner recently met with McHenry Country GOP leaders, including Diane Evertsen, former President of the “nativist extremist” group Minutemen Midwest. The Southern Poverty Law Center labeled them a “nativist extremist” group from 2007 to 2010 for writings that warned of a “conspiracy afoot to merge the U.S. and Mexico” by a “shadow government” and claimed “most Mexicans…are not Western; genealogically, they are Asiatic, and they despise the West.”
Rauner’s clandestine meeting is not out of line with his overall record – Rauner’s done little to push back on President Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and refused to protect the 42,000 DACA recipients in Illinois facing deportation. But Rauner’s cozying up to the far-right risks alienating other Republicans like state Representative David McSweeney who called on the governor to apologize for agreeing to the meeting.
“Bruce Rauner is showing his stripes by cozying up to anti-immigrant extremists and silently supporting Donald Trump’s agenda,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “After failing to protect Illinoisans from President Trump, Rauner’s giving the far-right a voice in Springfield.”

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