Harris-backed Democrat scrubs BLM-era posts as House campaign heats up
Dan Koh, a candidate for Congress in Massachusetts’s 6th Congressional District, deleted a handful of Black Lives Matter (BLM) posts from then-Twitter, according to the Wayback internet archives tool.
Koh’s resurfaced posts, which come as he wages a campaign to become the next representative for Massachusetts’s 6th Congressional District, suggest efforts to distance himself from BLM even as Koh highlights other elements of "racial justice."
"JusticeForGeorgeFloyd," Koh wrote on May 29, 2020.
"Pretty sure centuries of systemic racism exemplified by the murder of George Floyd has something to do with the ‘situation,’" Koh said in one of the posts, reacting to a press briefing about the riots that had broken out in Minnesota in 2020 shortly after Floyd’s death at the hands of a law enforcement officer.
The posts, which originally went up on May 29 and May 30 in 2020, have since been deleted.
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In another post published on April 20, 2021, Koh wrote simply, "JusticeForGeorgeFloyd."
Notably, Koh has not shied away from making racial equity an element of his campaign and displays it as a part of his platform on his website.
"President Trump is using the power of the federal government to target people of color at every turn. We must confront every action that systemically erodes justice and equality in American life, from attacks on fair housing and labor protections to efforts that undermine public education, environmental justice and civil rights enforcement," the website reads.
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In the past, BLM has acted as a lightning rod issue, pitting criticisms of racial prejudice in law enforcement against support for police. It would later feed into sentiments like calls to "defund the police."
Koh’s campaign did not say why he deleted the posts or whether he sees them as at odds with his current positions.
A spokesperson for the campaign did say, however, that Koh intends to make racial representation a facet of his time in office, if elected.
"For years, Dan has spoken up, including on social media and national TV, about the murder of George Floyd and the injustices Black Americans have faced — and as a Member of Congress, he will fight every day against Trump’s racist agenda that is trying to strip Black Americans of their rights and freedoms," Olivia Brandon, a campaign spokesperson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
In his time before running for office, Koh worked in the Biden White House, holding multiple senior roles and advising the administration on infrastructure-related matters. He has also worked as chief of staff to the U.S. Department of Labor and chief of staff for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.
Koh is running to replace outgoing Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass. The seat, which has been safely Democratic for decades, last went to Moulton in a 69.9% to 35.2% victory over Republican challenger Robert May.
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In turn, Moulton is pursuing a U.S. Senate seat in a primary challenge to Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.
Massachusetts will hold its primaries on Tuesday, Sept. 1. If he clinches the Democratic nomination, Koh will face off against Republican candidate Micah Jones.
