White nationalist Peter Tefft was expelled from his membership in the District 21 Republicans Thursday, Feb. 22 at the Cass County Republican Convention in Fargo.
Conner Swanson, chair of District 21, ran against Tefft for chairman in a meeting in May 2017.
Swanson said Tefft wanted to be a delegate this year, but he “directly goes against the views of the Republican Party. Our party does not tolerate hate speech or bigotry.”
If anyone thinks the Republican Party endorses things such as “white supremacy and hatred, they can leave our party because we don’t want their votes,” Swanson said.
Tefft claims that his agenda and the Trump agenda align well. Tefft was blocked from making comments about this on social media for District 21.
“This has been going on for a long time,” Tefft said. “They are trying to cut me out and take away my voice, but the rest of the state is going to vote for the Trump platform whether Connor and our district does it or not.”
Sydney Arends, president of the College Republicans at NDSU, said some people can misinterpret Trump’s agenda.
“I know there are some topics like immigration that people can spin the wrong way,” Arends said. “We just want to make sure everyone coming into this country are striving and can strive for the American Dream.”
The decision to expel him is “not against a person; it’s against an ideology,” Swanson said.
Tefft said he is upset that so many people focus on his “activism” when he claims to see things that he considers troubling from Connor Swanson’s “activism.”
“I would like for the attention to be brought that Connor himself is engaging in identity activism as he is a member of the LGBT community and so that is why I was removed, because I was making people aware of that,” Tefft claimed. “He wants to keep attending these pride events where just last year, there was an all-ages drag show, and according to the college of pediatricians, pushing transgenderism on kids when they’re still developing is child abuse.”
Swanson said Tefft is just trying to make excuses for his expulsion from the organization and that Tefft was expelled because he simply does not hold the views of the Republican Party.
“District 21 and all of the ND GOP want their values to be upheld,” Arends said. “We are an organization that promotes traditional values such as helping your neighbor.”
Tefft told The Forum the day after the convention that he “was shocked” to be voted out, but he will continue his “pro-white” advocacy.
“It’s upsetting to me, but I’m going to work hard to make amends with District 21,” Tefft said. “I plan on staying in this part of Fargo and continuing to support the Trump agenda.”
Swanson said Tefft was voted out of the organization by a large majority.