Having opened the door to an electoral comeback attempt in 2016, former U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., a favorite of the tea party movement and conservatives, is supporting Republican campaigns across the nation and drawing fire from Democrats as a result.
Through his Allen West Guardian Fund PAC, the former congressman continues to remain active at the national level. Last week, West endorsed Republican challengers Martha McSally who is running against U.S. Rep. Ron Barber, R-Ariz., Steve Russell who is running for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. James Lankford, R-Okla., who is running for the U.S. Senate, and Dan Sullivan who is running against U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska.
West is leaning into Democrats' fire with a kind of perverse pleasure.
Not surprisingly, the Democrats and the liberal progressives have begun their typical vicious attacks -- even attacking our endorsed candidates simply because I support them, West emailed supporters on Monday.
West pointed to his support of New York state Sen. Lee Zeldin, the Republican and Conservative Party of New York State nominee challenging U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., in Long Island.
Ahead of my visit to New York, Lee Zeldin's opponent sent out a fundraising letter saying notorious ex-Congressman Allen West is coming to Long Island to haul cash ... West isn't just any ex-congressman, he's the godfather of the tea party, and he brings with him gobs of right-wing cash, West noted.
When West headed up to New York at the end of last month, Bishop pointed toward Wests record and attempted to paint Zeldin as out of the mainstream.
Inviting Allen West to headline his campaign kickoff demonstrates how closely aligned Lee Zeldin is with Wests far-right ideological agenda that has led directly to the dysfunction in Congress, Bishop said. I am calling on Lee Zeldin to share with Long Island voters just which of Allen Wests many destructive and repugnant beliefs he shares. And if Zeldin does not agree with these disgraceful and intolerant beliefs, I call on him to denounce them publicly, not just with words, but by withdrawing Allen Wests invitation to Long Island.
Lee Zeldin, do you share Wests beliefs that Nazi War Criminal Joseph Goebbels would be proud of the Democratic Party and that our current government closely resembles Nazi Germany? Bishop demanded. The Democratic Party is a 21st century Plantation and that certain black leaders are nothing more than overseers'? Federal student loans, so essential to many middle-class families, are communist? Women who believe in making their own health care decisions are neutering American men? Social Security is a form of modern-day slavery? The DREAM Act is reprehensible?
Elected officials and candidates have an obligation to let voters know where they stand on the issues -- and Zeldin owes it to the people of Long Island to either publicly state his agreement with Wests beliefs or withdraw his invitation, Bishop concluded.
But West shows no signs of backing down. The attacks aren't just on our candidates, or just on me, my friends, West noted, insisting they were attacks on his supporters and their principles and what we know to be right for our country.
West promises to keep active in the last seven weeks of the election.
In these last two months before Election Day, I'll be hitting the road to support our candidates, and then we'll ramp up our massive barrage of advertising that's designed to put liberal super-PACs in retreat, West vowed.
West plans to make his final endorsements of the 2014 election cycle at an event in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29.
Despite losing to Democrat Patrick Murphy in 2012, West has left the door open to running for office in 2016, expressing interest in the U.S. Senate seat currently held by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who might run for the Republican presidential nomination or not seek a second term.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
