A Democratic candidate running for a seat in the Colorado State House has been denounced by Jewish groups and local leaders after past tweets containing extreme antisemitic language were discovered.
Elisabeth Epps’s old tweets were first reported on by the Intermountain Jewish News on June 10.
“Elisabeth Epps, candidate for Colorado House District 6, is causing outrage in her district after her horrific tweets mirroring white supremacist rhetoric of Jewish power and control have come back to light,” the StopAntisemitism watchdog organization said on Twitter, along with posting screenshots of her tweets.
The tweets from the “elisabeth epps is tired” account included:
“We are just right for old bigoted Jewish billionaires with Alzheimer’s tho! We’re their grandkids age!”
“Rebecca & Benjamin. Hmmm. #POTUS starts out [State of the Union] low-key reminding you that Israel is constituent #1.”
“I want to be a Jewish lawyer billionaire pro-sports team owner when I grow up. 1 down, 3 to go.”
A letter published by the group Concerned Colorado Citizens in a local newspaper was signed by several Jewish leaders.
The letter urged the community to vote against Epps.
“Elisabeth Epps… has issued stridently anti-Israel statements which veer into antisemitism,” the letter said. “She needs to be defeated. She has demonstrated that she is uninformed about Israel’s position and shows no interest in educating herself.”
The letter continued: “The Intermountain Jewish News article (June 10) more fully describes Epps’ comments and mentions some of her more recent tweets where she stated, “from the river to the sea…” – a phrase which implies the elimination of Israel. We do not need a Colorado State Representative who falsely characterizes Israeli policy as 'colonization, apartheid, genocide and nationalism.'"
The letter noted that when asked by the newspaper about her tweets, she refused to comment.
“It is incumbent upon all members of the Jewish community – and all Colorado citizens of good faith – to say no to this apostle of hatred toward the Jewish state,” the letter said. “The continuous mainstreaming of antisemitic statements by elected officials and candidates is appalling and we must all stand together on this issue.”
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