Democratic candidate apologizes for past pro-police, pro-gun posts in key battleground race
A Pennsylvania Democrat is apologizing for Facebook posts defending police officers during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and supporting gun rights as he runs for his party's nomination...
By Fox News · Fox News
A Pennsylvania Democrat is apologizing for Facebook posts defending police officers during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and supporting gun rights as he runs for his party's nomination in a key battleground race. Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter and former union leader, is seeking to unseat Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Penn., who was first elected in 2024 after beating Democratic incumbent Susan Wild by roughly 4,000 votes. Brooks has centered his campaign around appealing to blue-collar Americans without college degrees on a platform that includes advocating for vocational trades training and support for unions, while also embracing more liberal policies like Medicaid for All. A local blogger argued Brooks should not run on the Democratic ticket because he posted a pro-gun rights meme on his Facebook page a day after a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, in 2019, The Washington Post first reported. Twenty-three people were shot and killed by a white nationalist inside a Walmart. Brooks shared a photo of Clint Eastwood holding a rifle with the following words overlaid on the image: "The problem is not guns. It’s hearts without God, homes without discipline, schools without prayer and courtrooms without justice." The meme also included an image of a skull with the Roman numeral III across its forehead. The symbol is linked to the Three Percenters, a far-right extremist militia group rooted in anti-government ideology. INSURGENT VIRGINIA DEMOCRAT SAYS HIS PARTY IS ‘COMPLETELY WRONG’ ON GUN RIGHTS AND GERRYMANDERING Fox News Digital reached out to Brooks for comment. On his campaign page, Brooks said he respects the Second Amendment and that he has been around guns his whole life. However, he is calling for stronger gun laws. "We need common-sense laws: universal background checks, closing the gun show loophole, and enforcing waiting periods so dangerous people don’t get their hands on guns," Brooks' campaign page stated. "This wouldn’t change things for responsible…