‘If I was a Gay Democrat,’ Idaho Gubernatorial Asks Boise Mayor
An independent governor candidate calls out the Boise mayor for canceling a planned campaign rally. Boise Mayor Lauren McLean issued a statement condemning the actions of candidate Ammon Bundy while canceling his planned campaign picnic in Boise next month.
Collin Raye and Ammon Bundy
It did not take long for Mr. Bundy to fire back at Mayor McLean, comparing her leadership style to that of Bull Connor's Birmingham, Alabama, in the 1960s. (He was known for using dogs and police brutality to fight Doctor Martin Luther King Junior's Civil Rights Movement.)
He shared his reaction in a written statement: "If I was a gay Democrat would Mayor McLean's Jim Crow-type philosophy affect my ability to hold an event in Boise? I thought these questions were settled more than 60 years ago. So much for Mayor McLean being a "tolerant progressive".
Mr. Bundy has been a critic of both Democrats and Republicans while campaigning for governor. This is the first time that we've seen a statement comparing Boise to Birmingham in the 1960s. Birmingham was the epic center of the Civil Rights movement, where many were beaten and killed. Four young African American girls were killed in the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. You can read about what happened here.
Mr. Bundy continued his assessment of Boise's government. 'Mayor McLean's 2022 Boise has become no better than Birmingham City in the 1960s, where Martin Luther King Jr. was discriminated against for organizing peaceful rallies to bring awareness to government abuse and injustice.'
The Bundy Campaign has canceled their Boise event.