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Racist message prompts JoCo GOP committeeman's resignation

Posted at 4:11 PM, Oct 10, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-10 17:13:46-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Republican precinct committeeman in Johnson County, Kansas, touched off a firestorm with a racist Facebook message that led to his resignation.

Johnson County Republican Party Chairman Mike Jones said Wednesday that Shawnee GOP Precinct Committeeman Mike Kalny would resign after he made disparaging remarks about Sharice Davids’ sexuality and race in a private message on social media.

Davids, a Democrat, is running against Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder in the Kansas third congressional district for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Kalny sent a private Facebook message to “Little Ms. Pritchett” and said “your radical socialist kick boxing lesbian Indian will be sent back packing to the reservation.”

Anne Pritchett is the North Caucus president for the Johnson County Democratic Women board of directors.

Davids, a Native American with mixed-martial arts training, has been open about her sexual orientation.

LISTEN: 41 Files Podcast talks about remarks, impact on race

41 Action News has reached out to Kalny for comment but received no response.

Davids’ campaign issued a statement Wednesday that said Kalny’s remarks don’t represent those of Kansans or even of Republicans.

Yoder’s campaign also issued a statement Wednesday, calling the post “unacceptable.”

“These kind of nasty personal attacks are all too prevalent in politics these days, and it needs to stop,” Yoder’s campaign said.

Jones said Kalny’s remarks don’t “speak for our party.”