A Republican candidate running for Missouri governor is under fire after a longtime GOP politician called him out for his past ties with the Ku Klux Klan. The Missouri GOP is condemning Darrell Leon McClanahan III after a resurfaced photo shows him doing a Nazi salute next to a hooded Klansman in front of a burning cross.
Republican state Rep. Shamed Dogan, who's Black, shared the disturbing images of Clanahan after Missouri GOP tweeted that 279 Republicans submitted bids on the first day of the candidate filing. He wrote on X, "Hey @MissouriGOP I just learned the candidate listed first on our primary ballot for Governor is a cross-burning KKK member who ran for US Senate 2 years ago and freely admits his KKK membership & white supremacist beliefs."
On Thursday (February 29), the party confirmed they're in the process of removing Clanahan from the Republican primary ballot.
"The Missouri Republican Party has been made aware that Darrell Leon McClanahan III filed for Governor as a Republican despite his affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan, which fundamentally contradicts our party's values and platform," their response reads. "We condemn any association with hate groups and are taking immediate action to rectify this situation. Our party upholds respect for all individuals, and we're dedicated to addressing any challenges to these principles decisively."
Clanahan called Dogan's allegations "false and damaging" in text messages sent to Riverfront Times, even though the gubernatorial candidate previously confirmed he had a one-year "honorary membership" with the KKK in his defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League. According to reporters, Clanahan took the organization to court over a 2022 article describing his ties with several white supremacist and Christian identity groups. The lawsuit was thrown out in December 2023.
Clanahan admitted to being the one in the photo, which dates back to 2019, but denied ever being involved with the hateful group.
He also clapped back at the Missouri GOP, claiming his fellow Republicans knew about his past and let him run for governor.
"The Missouri GOP knew exactly who I am," Clanahan wrote. "Chairman Myers told me when I signed up for Senate, paying my $500 fee, saying he had vetted me and knew I was a Christian identist; and that I should just not say anything bad about the Jews."
He finished the post by calling the Missouri Republican Party "a bunch of Anti-White hypocrites."
The Associated Press reported that Clanahan lost the state GOP primary with only 0.2% of votes.
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