GOP House candidate apologizes after implying Democrats are leading US towards another Holocaust

At a Republican fundraiser in Mankato, the candidate for Minnesota House District 18A, Erica Schwartz, gave a speech promising to promote tough-on-crime policies and advocate for lower taxes.

In a side conversation after the speech, Schwartz said Democrats are leading the U.S. towards another Holocaust, according to audio obtained by the Reformer.

Schwartz is running against DFL Rep. Jeff Brand to represent the swing district that includes north Mankato, Saint Peter and nearby townships.

Schwartz, in conversation with unidentified individuals, said she was interested in WWII history and took her daughter to visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

“It was heartbreaking to see, but it’s also very much part of our ugly history that we have to remember to never do that again,” Schwartz said of the Holocaust. “And I just feel like we’re heading right back to all of that with what’s going on with the DFL, and what’s been going on with our country, with it being all Democratic from our president, all the way from our governor to our representatives in the state House.”

Schwartz continued: “They’re promoting all this transgender. You know, when I walk into my baby’s school, my kid’s school, I see that pride flag everywhere. Posters everywhere, hallways… but they took away the American flag.”

In a statement provided to the Reformer, Schwartz said she regrets the comments.  

“As a brand new candidate, I made an inartful comment trying to highlight some of the reasons I ran for office: my deep concern about the one-party control in Minnesota, and the increasingly hostile political environment where free speech is under attack and Americans are divided against each other. I regret making that comparison and will be better in the future about being more precise with my words,” Schwartz said.

Ethan Roberts, deputy director of Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota, said this isn’t the first time candidates or elected officials have made “wildly inappropriate” comparisons to the Holocaust. 

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, some Republicans likened public health measures — including mask mandates and school and business closures — to Nazi-era Germany. The 2022 Republican candidate for governor, Scott Jensen, implied that groups that resist government public health policies would help prevent a repeat of Nazism.

Schwartz’s comments come at a sensitive time for Jewish Americans, as reports of antisemitism on college campuses have risen in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israeli civilians and Israel’s ensuing bombardment of Gaza. 

“Whatever it is that you’re upset about, whatever it is that you think that our country is wrestling with, it’s not the Holocaust,” Roberts said.

This story was originally published by the Minnesota Reformer