Republican Congressman: ‘I Would Never Cast A Ballot For Someone Like Steve King’

Republicans are now publicly distancing themselves from Rep. Steve King (R-IA) in the wake of King’s overt embrace of white supremacists and far-right nationalists.

A day after the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee blasted King for his “recent comments, actions, and retweets” while saying we must “stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms,” Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) — who is locked in a tough swing-district fight to hold his seat — doubled down on the campaign chief’s condemnation.

“His comments and his actions are disgusting,” Curbelo said on MSNBC this afternoon. “And look, I know nothing about his opponent, Andrea [Mitchell], but I will tell you this, I would never cast a ballot for someone like Steve King.”

Host Andrea Mitchell asked the congressman if he meant that even if it cost Republicans a seat in Congress. The Florida lawmaker replied that “my principles are more important than any of that” and reiterated he would never vote for King.

While King has long espoused racist and xenophobic views, it would appear that GOPers are only now willing to speak out against him as the Iowa Republican has not only made his love for white nationalism more public, but he is in real danger of losing his race and becoming an anchor around their necks.

However, with King recently endorsing a white supremacist in the Toronto mayor’s race and meeting with a far-right Austrian party associated with Nazis, corporate political donors have dropped their support of the congressman. Meanwhile, King has laid low in his re-election bid in his ruby-red Iowa district, leaving an opening for his Democratic opponent to run non-stop ads and turning the race into a toss-up.

After the NRCC head rebuked him, King responded by saying the”attacks” against him are being orchestrated by the “dishonest fake news” in order to “flip the House and impeach Donald Trump.”