Who is Chester Doles? Ex-KKK leader to run for GA county commissioner, says he's like John Lewis
In 2016, Donald Trump's victory in the Presidential Election opened the doors for far-right and fringe conspiracy theorists to stage their own political campaigns. From QAnon supporters like Marjorie Taylor Greene to white supremacist supporter Niel Kumar, the GOP has embraced those once on considered outcasts as mainstream. The latest to join that growing group is Chester Doles, a 61-year-old from Georgia who was once a member of the Klu Klux Klan.
While Rep. Greene has no doubt become the poster girl for this group, she's far from the only one. Far-right internet provocateur Laura Loomer was the GOP's candidate for Florida's 21st congressional district but ended up losing to a Democrat. In June 2021, Congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden was found to have used campaign cash to fund his trip to Washington DC for the January 6 insurrection.
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Thanks to media outlets like Fox News, NewsMax, and social media, these far-right figures are not only gaining popularity, but also key airtime. In February 2022, The Guardian reported that the GOP would field at least 100 far-right candidates in the upcoming midterms, indicating Trumpism is indeed alive and well in the party. Here's a look at another of those candidates - Chester Doles who is running for a seat on the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners.
Who is Chester Doles?
The 61-year-old is perhaps best known for serving as the Grand Klaliff of the Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Maryland. As far back as the 1990s, he featured heavily in news clippings about the group. Doles also marched with the notoriously racist group the Hammerskins, and also at the infamous 2017 Charlottesville rally. He described himself as a "fourth-generation Klansman" with his white robes becoming "family heirlooms" as he dumps his past for a future in politics.
Perhaps less concerning is Doles' criminal history. Back in 1993, he was convicted for beating a Black man in Maryland and served four years in prison over the charge. Then in 2003, he was arrested on a federal firearms charge and spent four more years in jail. In 2016, he was arrested a third time for assault as a result of a bar brawl. However, under Georgia law, a former felon can run for office if at least 10 years have passed since their last sentence. So he's eligible and has even compared himself to civil rights activist John Lewis.
"Congressman John Lewis, he was arrested 68 times, so that's not a reason to disqualify someone," Doles said, adding, "Don't matter if you're out there for the civil rights movement than I'm a white civil rights activist then." Before running for office though, Doles first turned his attention towards the GOP and Trump movement, creating the 'American Patriots USA' group in support of Trump.
Doles' ties to the GOP
Doles reportedly maintained his ties to the far-right, which has led to some pushback. In the 2020 elections, Doles endorsed some long-shot candidates, and even attempted to tie himself to Rep. Greene, who promptly had him removed from an event she was attending, The Daily Mail reported. However, Kelly Loeffler, the US Senator who lost to Rapahel Warnock seemed happy to take a selfie with Doles, and later her campaign claimed she had "no idea" who he was.
In his run-up to the 2022 election, Doles has made an attempt to distance himself from his racist past, telling CBS46 News, "I do publicly denounce racism, yes ma’am." However, it appears that's not entirely true. His campaign is based off fringe far-right theories, like the true intention of critical race theory. "It’s Marxist. It’s trying to put a sense of white guilt into young white children. It needs to be abolished," he said about CRT.
"We American patriots are the new most endangered species," he added, and noted, "This sick insane culture of wokeness is destroying America." His campaign slogan is also an echo of these ideologies, saying, "Stop Socialism. Save America." He told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "I’m definitely about draining the local swamp. We’re going to replace politicians with patriots."
The comments indicate Doles retains his strong ties to the far-right, and their fringe conspiracy theories and misunderstandings about race-related topics like CRT. Many experts believe he's a long-shot candidate, but after Trump in 2016, that word should definitely be taken with extreme caution.