Racist Iowa Rep. Steve King’s Opponent Quits Campaign, Citing Death Threats

Efforts to unseat Iowa Republican lawmaker Steve King, known for his racist and anti–immigrant trash talk, just got a little harder. King’s main Democratic rival for Iowa’s 4th Congressional seat in 2018, Kim Weaver, announced on Facebook that she is dropping out of the race because of death threats and the need to care for her ailing mother.

According to the statement posted on Saturday:

Over the last several weeks, I have been evaluating personal circumstances along with the political climate regarding this campaign. After much deliberation, I have determined that the best decision for me is to withdraw my candidacy for the US House race in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.

One consideration has been raised again by recent events at my home. Beginning during my 2016 campaign, I have received very alarming acts of intimidation, including death threats. While some may say enduring threats are just a part of running for office, my personal safety has increasingly become a concern.

Weaver also cited personal health concerns and a decision to move to Des Moines to care for her mother.

“In order to sufficiently devote myself to the campaign, I would have to quit my job and shift to campaigning full-time. With recent legislation on health insurance, I must admit that the possibility of seeking a new job after the election exposes too much of a risk for me in not being able to secure health insurance,” she said.

Weaver said she still “passionately” supports “the defeat of Steve King.”

“But who’s going to fight Steve King now?” asked one Facebook commenter. “He still doesn’t represent the values of the people and the people will need someone to defend them!”

Weaver unsuccessfully ran against King, an eight-term lawmaker, in 2016. She was the only opponent to officially announce her 2018 campaign for King’s seat. Republicans in the district outnumber Democrats by 70,000 voters, according to the Sioux City Journal.

In an interview last year at the Republican National Convention, King claimed that white people have contributed more to society than any other “sub-group” of people.

Last March, he tweeted support for Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders by stating, “We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.” He also predicted that “blacks and Hispanics will be fighting each other” before overtaking white people as the majority population in the United States.