Jay Fant doubles down on Confederate monuments in Attorney General race

Jay Fant showing off his glad-handing talents.

While it is by no means certain that the “South will rise again,” what’s clear: Jay Fant wants Confederate monuments to float to the top of the Attorney General race.

Fant, a Jacksonville State Representative currently vying for the 2018 GOP nomination in the Attorney General race, made news when he spoke out recently, advocating for white supremacist Richard Spencer to speak at the University of Florida (a request ultimately denied by University administrators).

Spencer, an instigator of the Charlottesville violence that has catalyzed national and local debates about Confederate monuments, was worthy of defense on First Amendment grounds, per Fant: “Should Richard Spencer be allowed to speak, even though I don’t agree with him? The Constitution says yes.”

Confederate monuments and those who love them, the polls assert, comprise a winning issue for Republicans — and for Fant, whose campaign thus far has faced grave challenges in fundraising and endorsements outside of the Florida House, they present what clearly is a political opportunity — one Fant is using to build his mailing list this week.

On Facebook, Fant presented a sponsored post, one in which he attempted to strike a nuanced position between “unacceptable” white supremacy and much more acceptable Confederate monument defense.

“White supremacy is immoral, sinful, and unacceptable,” Fant said, before drawing a casual link between removing monuments and forgetting the uniquely destructive and pernicious economic system of pre-1865 America.

“However, when you delete history, you run the risk of repeating history,” Fant added.

Elected officials must “stand up to radicals,” Fant added, as “the destruction of history is a grave mistake.”

Whether the removal of a monument or ten actually qualifies as the “destruction of history” is an open question. But for the target demographic Fant is courting, it’s a closed one — and Fant’s position is intended as a call to action.

That action? Submitting name, address, and email to the Fant campaign as part of a petition of support.

The goal? “PRESERVING our history,” to “STOP progressives from erasing our history.”

Of course, pronouns can be a very elastic thing. One man’s “our” is another man’s “their.”

But odds are that Fant isn’t courting many voters with any qualms about the Lost Cause.

Fant also is positioning himself as the “business-friendly” candidate in the Attorney General race.

Is the business community as enthralled to Confederate monuments and the toxic cocktail of extremists on each side of the issue as Fant seems to be, however?

Time — and donations to Fant’s campaign and political committee — will tell.

At last count, Fant was trailing his primary opponent Ashley Moody by a 3 to 1 margin ($700,000 to $210,000) in the money race.