GOP's links to extremism surface in congressional primary

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July 27th, 2022

Joe Kent, center, a Republican who is challenging Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., for her seat in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, speaks during a "Justice For J6" rally near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Sept. 18, 2021, in support of people who took part in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Kent has openly displayed ties to far-right and extremist organizations in his election run. That includes groups that have drawn law enforcement scrutiny over their involvement in the Jan. 6. insurrection (AP Photo/Nathan Howard, File)

A congressional candidate whose compelling personal story of military valor and unfathomable loss helped him win former President Donald Trump’s support has connections to right-wing extremists, including a campaign consultant who was a member of the Proud Boys.

Republican Joe Kent, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in Washington state in the Aug. 2 primary, has also courted prominent white nationalists and posed recently for a photograph with a media personality who has previously described Adolf Hitler as a “complicated historical figure” who “many people misunderstand.”

An Associated Press review of internet postings, court records and campaign finance disclosures depict a candidate with a more complicated biography than the compelling personal story that turned the 42-year-old Kent into a favorite of conservative media.

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