Attendees of the Kansas GOP Event Punch and Kick Mannequin wearing a Biden mask
Kansas Republicans are coming under fire for holding a fundraiser Friday evening in which attendees physically attacked an effigy resembling President Biden, according to video shared on social media over the weekend.
The event, which took place Friday in Overland Park, Kansas, the state’s second-largest city, was organized by the Republican Party of Johnson County and billed as “A Grand Ol’ Party: Johnson County Road to Red Event.”
The Kansas City Star was first to report on the images. A video of the event shows attendees punching and kicking what appears to be an opponent’s bag — a lifelike mannequin with a head and torso often used for self-defense training — wearing a mask that resembles Mr. Biden’s face. The mannequin was dressed in a T-shirt that read “Let’s Go Brandon,” a phrase considered code for swearing at Mr. Biden. Attendees also appeared to hit karate breaking boards bearing the same derogatory phrase.
That footage, originally posted to the online video platform Rumble, has been removed, according to The Star, but clips have been shared by accounts like “Republicans Against Trump” on X.
Maria Holiday, the chairwoman of the Johnson County Republican Party, said an exhibit on “interactive self-defense” was shown at the event, which is why the training bag was there.
“The Johnson County Republican Party’s successful series of events last weekend was tarnished by a brief incident in which a mask with President Biden’s image was added to an interactive self-defense display,” Ms. Holiday said in a statement. “The mask was deplorable and was removed. No one has collected or solicited money or donations in exchange for touching the training device.”
She told The Star that the “booth was organized by a karate school to promote their self-defense class.”
Michael Kuckelman, who served as chairman of the Republican Party of Kansas from 2019 to 2023, denounced the attack on the effigy in a Facebook post on Saturday. He did not attend the event, he said in a telephone interview Monday, but shared photos on social media that he had been made aware of by “concerned Republicans” to express that “the vast majority of Republicans in Kansas are equally disgusted is as I am.”
“I don’t agree with President Biden’s policies, but he is a fellow human being,” he wrote on Facebook, calling on Ms. Holiday and Mike Brown, chairman of the Republican Party, to resign. “No one should condone or defend this heinous and shameful behavior.”
In a statement, Mr Brown said that no one from the State Party had attended the event and that the State Party had not provided any input on the displays, which he said showed “poor judgment” on the part of the external exhibitor. He said a “disgruntled former state party member” — an apparent reference to Mr. Kuckelman — tried to “capitalize” on the incident.
“It is unfortunate that the events occurred, and even more so the former state party member created a false narrative to spread rhetoric and capitalize on ongoing attempts to divide the party,” he said. “The internal fighting and false narratives within the Republican Party are risking the 2024 election outcome in Kansas and across America, and it must end.”
Mr. Kuckelman, a frequent critic of Mr. Brown, said he was disappointed that the two party leaders did not immediately condemn the actions of those present. “People see the extremism on both sides, and it’s unacceptable on both sides,” he said, pointing to a 2017 incident when comedian Kathy Griffin posted a video of herself holding the severed head of President Donald J. Trump. .
Johnson County has a large population of moderate voters who have tended to support Democrats in recent cycles. During the 2018 midterm elections, voters in the area helped Democrats like Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Rep. Sharice Davids flip the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Overland Park, where the event took place. That previously competitive seat is considered “likely Democrat” this year by the Cook Political Report.
Alex Floyd, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, called what happened at the fundraiser a “gross stunt” that illustrated the contrast between the two parties competing in November’s general election.
Ticket prices for Friday’s fundraiser ranged from $100 to $300, according to the invitation. Ted Nugent, the rock star and outspoken conservative who supports Trump, was a keynote speaker.
In his State of the Union address last week, Mr. Biden spoke of the need to “make it clear that political violence has absolutely no place, no place in America.” Echoing that sentiment, Democrats in the state were quick to denounce the incident.
“Regardless of any political party, there is absolutely no excuse for encouraging or condoning violence of any kind – against a president, a political opponent, a neighbor or anyone else,” said Jeanna Repass, the president of the Kansas Democratic Party, in a statement.
Kitty Bennett research contributed.