WASHINGTON -- Texans head to the polls Tuesday for a handful of primary runoff elections, including one that could elevate a woman who compares President Barack Obama to Hitler.
On March 4, no candidate secured a majority of the vote in the election for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas. Dallas dentist David Alameel received 47.1 percent of the vote, and political activist Kesha Rogers garnered 21.7 percent. Texas Democrats will choose between the two of them in a runoff contest Tuesday. The winner will face a long-shot bid against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
The results were somewhat embarrassing for the Texas Democratic Party. Rogers is a follower of Lyndon LaRouche, who heads a fringe political movement that has been compared to a cult. His supporters are often seen carrying signs depicting Obama with a Hitler mustache. One of Rogers' own campaign posters features that image, and reads, "Down with the Traitor! Impeach!"
Rogers has compared Obamacare to the policies of the Nazi regime.
The Texas Democratic Party has been working hard to get the word out that it is fully behind Alameel.
In a recent interview with Digital Journal, Rogers stood by her call to impeach Obama and further explained why he warranted the comparison to Hitler:
DJ: You are a Democrat. But you have called for the impeachment of President Obama, listing a detailed summary of impeachable offenses he's committed on your campaign website. I must say, there are some very valid offenses there, including various constitutional violations, that seem to warrant impeachment far more than Benghazi, Fast and Furious or any one of a number of minor or pseudo-scandals for which Tea Party leaders have called for his impeachment.
Rogers: Violation of the War Powers resolution, regime change against nations posing no military threat to the United States, indefinite detention of American citizens, droning of American citizens without due process, and the lawlessness of going against the Constitution in terms of warrantless wiretapping [and more] are all impeachable offenses.
DJ: That makes sense, whether one agrees with you or not. But I have to ask: Why the comparisons between Obama and Hitler, for example, the Hitler mustache on Obama in one of your campaign posters? What sort of voters are you appealing to with such extreme comparisons and imagery?
Rogers: [All of the things I just mentioned] have outrightly deserved President Obama the mustache. And until he is impeached, it will stay with him.
I'm appealing to voters by actually telling the truth. Mr. Larouche made the clear forecast or warning about the character of President Obama as being similar to Adolf Hitler and [the Roman emperor] Nero.
There are three Democratic runoff contests for the state Tuesday and nine Republican ones. According to the Star-Telegram, political observers expect turnout to be extremely low, perhaps hovering around 5-6 percent.
On the Republican side, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurt is defending his seat against state Sen. Dan Patrick. Patrick founded the tea party caucus in the Texas state legislature, while Dewhurt lost a primary battle to Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate in 2012, despite his strong backing from the GOP establishment.
In the runoff for the GOP nomination for state attorney general, the Associated Press reports that state Sen. Ken Paxton -- who models himself after Cruz -- is favored to win against state Rep. Dan Branch.
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