Florida residents are expressing anger and embarrassment after Republican Marshall Rawson won a seat in the state House despite extensive reporting about his past involvement with a white nationalist organization and attendance at the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally.
Rawson defeated Democrat Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson to represent Florida House District 10, receiving approximately 68% of the vote. The heavily Republican district includes Baker, Bradford, Columbia, and Union counties, along with part of northern Alachua County.
The victory returned to the spotlight after it was shared in a recent Florida Reddit discussion. An earlier discussion of the same election drew hundreds of comments from residents questioning how Rawson’s documented history failed to disqualify him in voters’ eyes.
“Florida showed her true colors tonight. Loud and clear,” one person wrote.
Another disappointed resident added, “It’s embarrassing, but I did my part.” A third argued that the result reflected Florida’s transformation into a destination for the country’s most committed conservative voters, writing, “I love this state, but we’ve imported too many of the nation’s crankish uncles.”
Florida Liberals Outraged
Talking Points Memo reported that video showed Rawson carrying a League of the South flag at the Charlottesville gathering. The Southern Poverty Law Center has classified the organization as a white nationalist hate group.
Rawson has said his involvement with the group ended in 2016 and described his activism as opposition to immigration, same-sex marriage, and the removal of historical monuments. However, TPM reported that he appeared at the organization’s 2021 Florida Freedom Conference and received campaign donations from people associated with extremist movements. Rawson has said he did not screen contributors and that accepting donations did not constitute an endorsement of their beliefs.
Online criticism also targeted Republican officials who supported Rawson. TPM contacted 28 current and former GOP officials, including 22 who reportedly endorsed him, and said none publicly denounced his attendance at Charlottesville or previous statements.
Despite the statewide anger visible online, voters in one strongly Republican North Florida district decided the election. For critics, however, that distinction did little to make the outcome less disturbing.
