Tweet Is Racist, Fairfield Dems Say; GOP Vice Chair Won't Delete

FAIRFIELD, CT — A tweet posted by the vice chair of Fairfield’s Republican committee was referred to as "racist" and "culturally insensitive" by the leader of the town Democrats.

Fairfield Republican Town Committee Vice Chair Alex Plitsas on Wednesday morning retweeted a post from CNBC that linked to an article about Sen. Elizabeth Warren endorsing former vice president Joe Biden in his bid for the White House. Above the CNBC tweet, Plitsas wrote, "The Last of the Mohicans."

The tweet references the title of an 1826 historical novel that has been repeatedly adapted for television and film, as well as Warren’s past claims of Native American ancestry, which have been a source of controversy throughout her political career.

Fairfield Democratic Town Committee Chairman Steve Sheinberg said in a prepared statement that the committee was “extremely disappointed and saddened” by the tweet.

"Civil political discourse has no room for name-calling that mocks Native American identity," Sheinberg said in the statement. "I sincerely hope that Vice Chair Plitsas retracts and apologizes for his tweet."

Plitsas, who is a member of Fairfield’s Emergency Management Team and the director of the Republican veteran engagement program CT GOP Vets, said he would not delete the tweet and speculated that Sheinberg’s statements were politically motivated. He also denied the tweet was racist, and said it was meant to be a joke.

"She’s not actually Native American so it’s kind of hard to be racist," he said.

Prior to holding elected office, Warren claimed to be of Native American descent throughout her career in academia, an assertion that came under scrutiny in 2012 when she ran for the Senate. In 2018, Warren took a DNA test, which revealed she likely had a Native American ancestor dating back six to ten generations, although some Native American leaders criticized the DNA test on the grounds that having Native American DNA is not equivalent to having a Native American identity.

"Warren falsely claimed Native American heritage for her own benefit," Plitsas said. "If anyone should be offended by anything, that’s it."