Katherine Norman cheers as Richard Spencer endorses Joe Biden for President
Richard Spencer speaking.

Richard Spencer UF
She mostly sees good news is the alt-right splintering over Donald Trump.

It caught many Democrats off guard when white nationalist Richard Spencer issued an apparently sincere endorsement of Joe Biden. But one Democrat running for Florida Senate embraced the news.

“Add another one!” cheered Katherine Norman, a candidate in Senate District 23, on her Facebook page.

That’s a very different reaction than most Democrats hold, including Biden’s campaign. Andrew Bates, rapid response director for Joe Biden for President, disavowed Spencer’s support.

“When Joe Biden says we are in a battle for the soul of our nation against vile forces of hate who have come crawling out from under rocks, you are the epitome of what he means,” Bates tweeted. “What you stand for is absolutely repugnant. Your support is 10,000% percent unwelcome here.”

But Norman said she saw the news not as a simple endorsement, but a sign many on the right are fleeing from President Donald Trump.

“We have another major original Trump supporter speaking out and endorsing Biden,” she said.

In that sense, there’s reason to celebrate Spencer, once a vocal Trump supporter, defecting from the Republican President.

“The fact that the original creator of the alt-right movement is making an about face is significant,” Norman said.

It’s significant in large part because it shows an extremist movement that helped Trump narrowly win election in 2016 won’t be intact in 2020. That should be a welcome development to Democrats regardless of whether they find Spencer’s own ideology repugnant.

“Even though the message of white supremacy that Spencer has expounded and has been associated with do not represent democratic values, I believe his endorsement of Biden can pave the way for the dissemination of that entire base which is an excellent development,” Norman said.

Norman is challenging Sen. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican and chair of the Republican Party of Florida, who is seeking a second term in the upper chamber. Gruters co-chaired Trump’s campaign in Florida in 2016, and seconded Trump’s re-nomination at the Republican National Convention this week.

As for Gruters, he said it’s telling Norman would embrace the support of Spencer.

“The fact that a Democrat running for Senate in Florida would celebrate the support of a white nationalist tells you all you need to know about that candidate and the party she represents,” he said.

Jacob Ogles

Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg. His work has appeared nationally in The Advocate, Wired and other publications. Events like SRQ’s Where The Votes Are workshops made Ogles one of Southwest Florida’s most respected political analysts, and outlets like WWSB ABC 7 and WSRQ Sarasota have featured his insights. He can be reached at [email protected].


5 comments

  • Hammer

    August 25, 2020 at 2:23 pm

    Could it be the Alt- Right person realized Trump is not the white supremacist the media promised, so he is supporting Biden because he know the divisiness the BLM marxists have create and Biden supports, will help his cause more?

    • John McMahon

      August 26, 2020 at 5:22 pm

      Somebody gets it!!Drop that hammer! Lmao Richard Spencer will always support a war party like the democrats. Richard is a FRAUD and a racist Democrat like his parents from his days in high school. Trump Derangement Syndrome is so bad that the imbeciles in the Biden MSM crowd will now think Spencer is a genius. Richard loves all things Democrat like segregation, Jim Crowe laws, The ku Klux Klan and NOW Black Lives Matter because they are a violent racist terrorist organization like his lovable KKK Democrat heros!

    • Jimmy B.

      August 29, 2020 at 9:25 am

      I was thinking the same thing. Apparently the Democrats are too dense to realize the Trump never supported this clown, his views or his followers. It’s always been Democrat policies that Spencer espoused. He was stupid enough to believe the media lies about Trump and didn’t get what he was hoping for. They still believe Trump won because of some contingent of racists. I wonder what excuse they’ll use when Trump wins by a larger margin and all the racists have endorsed Biden. I guess we’ll find out soon.

  • Sonja Fitch

    August 31, 2020 at 7:07 am

    Talk about dense it is the brainwashed and braindead of the goptrump cult bowing down to kiss trumps ass! Yes it is pathetic that a richardspencer gets It and the goptrump cult doesnt!

  • Paul

    August 31, 2020 at 7:12 am

    What this proves is that Spencer is moving back to his racist roots to be with the likes of Katherine Norman, Biden and their ilk because the Republican Party will not have none of them. They love keeping Blacks on the plantation. Blacks aren’t having it though. At this point, 30% of Blacks support Trump and than number is growing every single day. The DNC has tried every way they can to steal power from the people but it’s not working. The DNC is done.

Comments are closed.


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