NC House Rep Facing Strong Conservative Challenger Writes Op-Ed Slamming ‘America’s Racist Legacy’

North Carolina House Rep G.K. Butterfield wrote a column for a local newspaper on Saturday where he said that “now is the time to move beyond America’s racist legacy toward a new era of accountability and moral integrity.”

He titled the column “Make America ‘great’ for all Americans,” implying that President Trump has been unable to do that and that it has not been great for all at any time in the past.

“Now is the time to move beyond America’s racist legacy toward a new era of accountability and moral integrity.” #Change #EqualityForAll #Justice #JusticeInPolicing @TheBlackCaucus https://t.co/GEiWg6R4mo

— G. K. Butterfield (@GKButterfield) June 28, 2020

Rep Butterfield faces a challenge for his seat from a strong conservative, Sandy Smith, in a newly redrawn district. She recently praised South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem for defending Mt. Rushmore and said “elected officials need to stand up more like this” to “protect our history.”

Elected officials need to stand up more like this! #NC01 #USA #Protectourhistory https://t.co/Wak50AoqHl

— Sandy Smith NC (@SandySmithNC) June 25, 2020

In the column, Rep Butterfield said that “now is the time to courageously remove the symbols of racism that celebrate the Confederate states’ choice to wage a war that killed hundreds of thousands of Americans rather than give up their “states’ rights” to own other human beings as chattel.”

He also claimed that “the reality that the Civil War was not a “War Between the States,” it was a “War Against the United States of America.”  Those who led and fought in that war sought the same result as America’s fascist, genocidal enemies in World War II — the conquest and destruction of the United States of America and everything it stands for.”