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Welp, the saga of The People of Enid vs. The White Supremacist They Put in Office has finally come to an end as Enid, Oklahoma, voters have successfully recalled city council member Judd Blevins, the politician who once served as a tiki torch-wielding leader of neo-Nazi group Identity Evropa, who was photographed while participating in 2017’s deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
According to NBC News, Blevins lost his seat on Enid’s six-member City Council by 268 votes after nearly 1,400 people showed up to vote, which is hundreds more than those who voted in the original election. (Enid is a really, reeeeally small town, yet, somehow, word of Blevins’ neo-Nazi ties was slow to get around.)
As we previously reported, Blevins ran a successful campaign as a conservative veteran who adheres to “conservative Christian values” and got himself elected to the city council last year. This happened just after two Enid citizens, Connie Vickers and her friend, Nancy Presnall, blew Blevin’s spot up with a blown-up photo of him at the Unite the Right rally, resulting in an article in the local paper outing him as a once-active leader of Identity Evropa, which “praised Nazis, denigrated racial minorities and professed the superiority of white people,” according to NBC.
But Blevins’ Klan-destine activity became widely known sometime after he was elected, which apparently led to in-fighting between Enid citizens who still supported him and those who wanted him out. In fact, the Republican who will replace him on the council, Cheryl Patterson, said she’s happy and hoping for a return to “normalcy” in Enid now that the recall vote is over.
“I think the citizens of Enid know who I am, because I’ve been here for 40 years and been really involved in the community,” Patterson said before the votes were in, adding that she was looking forward to “a resounding message that Enid is a great place to be.”
“Enid is not a town that promotes white nationalism or white supremacy in any way,” she continued. “And the people are good. And I’m hoping that the results of the election will show that.”
One might wonder how a white nationalist got elected in the first place if its not promoted in the city “in any way,” but, again, those who voted against him say they simply didn’t know.
From NBC:
Most people in Enid will tell you they didn’t hear much about the allegations against Blevins until after he was elected last year.
As voters trickled into polling stations Tuesday, many said they didn’t vote in that race and had no idea back then that Blevins, a former Marine who now works for his family’s roofing business, had been active in white nationalist groups. Nearly everyone said they didn’t want their city to be known as a place that tolerates hate.
“It does matter what you’ve done. Who you’ve associated with,” said Paul Martin, a cattle farmer and Democrat who said he votes for candidates regardless of party and learned of Blevins’ white nationalist ties only after his election.
“It didn’t come to light until after the vote,” Martin said. “I was really upset.”
Yet, before the vote, Blevins said he was “pretty confident I’ll come out on top,” but, “if not, I fought the good fight.” (He probably decided to leave out the words, “…for white supremacy,” but whatever.) He also said if he does lose his seat, he’s done with politics.
“I just go back to private life,” he said. “Life goes on.”
After the votes came in and he found out he was out, he called the recall election “a trial not just for me, but for many in this community.” (Sounds like he’s saying there are a lot of Nazis in Enid, but, again, whatever.)
So, now, all is well in the town of Enid. You know, unless the right-wing leanings under the guise of “conservative Christian values” in that town cause voters to elect another white supremacist.
SEE ALSO:
Enid, Oklahoma Voters Decide Whether Proven Neo-Nazi Will Remain On The City Council
Oklahoma Residents Scramble To Recall White Nationalist Leader Elected To Enid City Council
