Blevins was the subject of an investigation by HuffPost. He had been elected to Enid, Oklahoma last year, despite evidence that he belonged to a group of white supremacists.
Blevins, the subject of a new HuffPost investigation, had been elected in Enid, Oklahoma, last year despite evidence tying him to a white supremacist group. Blevins, the subject of a subsequent HuffPost investigation, had been elected in Enid, Oklahoma, last year despite evidence tying him to a white supremacist group.
Blevins was the subject of an investigation by HuffPost. He had been elected to Enid, Oklahoma last year, despite evidence that he belonged to a group of white supremacists.
Father James Neal, foreground, pastor of the Holy Cross Orthodox Catholic Church in Enid, Oklahoma, listens during a community forum Tuesday. Judson Blevins, who has acknowledged ties to white supremacist groups, lost a recall vote Tuesday.. Sean Murphy/Associated Press. Judson Blevins, a City Council member in Enid, Oklahoma, who was the subject of a HuffPost report about his ties to white supremacist groups, lost a recall election on Tuesday.. Blevins earned 561 votes, but his opponent, Cheryl Patterson, won 829 votes.. A small band of progressive activists launched the recall effort last year after Blevins repeatedly refused to deny or acknowledge significant evidence that he was a leader in the white supremacist group Identity Evropa. He’d also refused to answer questions about photos appearing to show him participating in the infamous 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.. Advertisement. At an election debate last month with Patterson, Blevins finally acknowledged that he did, in fact, attend the “Unite the Right” rally, the largest gathering of white supremacists in a generation. At the rally, where marchers shouted racist and antisemitic slogans and engaged in violence, a neo-Nazi drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing a 32-year-old woman and injuring dozens of others.. Blevins told the assembled crowd that he participated in the rally because he “felt it was important to protest the removal of statues of American soldiers,” referring to a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, which the city of Charlottesville had planned to topple. He did not, however, address why he joined the infamous tiki-torch march through the University of Virginia campus on the eve of the rally, when participants chanted, “Jews will not replace us.” Nor would Blevins say whether he attended the rally as a member of Identity Evropa, a deeply racist and antisemitic group that has since disbanded.. Reporters for Unicorn Riot photographed this man at the 2017 Charlottesville rally. Anti-fascists and a reporter for Right Wing Watch identified the man as Judson Blevins.. Courtesy Unicorn Riot. In his closing statement at the election debate, Blevins said he was confident that he would survive the recall election.. Advertisement. “I firmly believe on April 2, voters are going to reaffirm that I am the best to represent them,” he said. “It is my hope, it is my prayer that when they do, that decision will finally be respected by all.”. After the election debate, Father James Neal, a local progressive activist, confronted Blevins, asking him whether he was now a member of Patriot Front, a secretive white supremacist group whose masked members are known for holding flash mob-style demonstrations in cities across America. Blevins refused over and over again to answer.. Neal’s question stemmed from HuffPost’s report, which found that Blevins’ campaign for City Council had received a nearly $2,000 donation from a Texas man with business ties to a member of Patriot Front.. Blevins was elected to the council by a slim margin in early 2023, even though four years earlier, the media outlet Right Wing Watch — building off evidence collected by anti-fascist researchers — had published an article identifying him as the pseudonymous “Conway” in leaked Identity Evropa chat messages.. The “Conway” account posted many racist and antisemitic messages and posted photos of Identity Evropa propaganda he claimed to have placed across Oklahoma, including on university campuses.. Advertisement. Support HuffPost. Our 2024 Coverage Needs You. Your Loyalty Means The World To Us. At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.. Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.. Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? 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The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?. Dear HuffPost Reader. Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.. The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.. Support HuffPost. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.. Related. OklahomaRecall electionenidJudd Blevins. Opinion: Enid, Oklahoma, Holds A Recall Vote For Judd Blevins On April 2: That’s The Joke.. He Didn’t Deny Being A White Supremacist. Then He Was Elected To City Council.. Daily Wire CEO Tells A White Supremacist He’s ‘Talented’ And ‘Very Funny’
