Minnesota House Candidate Deletes Posts Supporting Confederates, Criticizing Lincoln

A Republican candidate for the Minnesota House has apologized for past Facebook posts in which he praised the Confederacy and lambasted President Abraham Lincoln.

Nolan West is a candidate for an open House seat currently occupied by a Republican.

“I apologize for posting insensitive material,” West told the Star Tribune.

“I’ve taken those posts down because they do not reflect who I am or what I believe.”

When South Carolina removed the Confederate battle flag from its statehouse grounds on July 10, 2015, West shared an advertisement for Confederate flags on his Facebook page.

Years earlier, in 2011, West publicly acknowledged the anniversary of the day Confederate President Jefferson Davis resigned from the U.S. Senate and called Lincoln “the single worst president this country has ever seen.”

In 2008, on the day before President Barack Obama was elected, West posted, “IT’S LYNCHING TIME.”

West has also posted negative comments about women and gays.

West is running to replace retiring Rep. Tim Sanders, R-Blaine.

According to West's campaign website, he is a resident of Blaine and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in history.

Read more at the Star Tribune.

Image: Tony Webster via Flickr /Creative Commons