In his quest to primary Greg Abbott, former state senator Don Huffines has relied on an intensely right-wing agenda. His campaign frequently utilizes nativist and anti-immigrant talking points. And now, when a staffer has been alleged to have direct links to white nationalism, Huffines is not backing down.
The staffer is Jake Lloyd Colglazier, who formerly worked at the conspiracy website InfoWars, and is listed on numerous websites as the deputy communications director for Huffines. The think tank Political Research Associates has extensive documentation of Colglazier’s long history of trafficking in white nationalism in the America First and the “groyper army.” The “groyper army” refers to a group of white nationalist internet trolls that rally around the alt-right figure Nick Fuentes, who was recently subpoenaed by the January 6 committee investigating the Insurrection.
According to Political Research Associates, Colglazier used his platform as a groyper to broadcast his fears of a “demographic cliff” for white Americans. Several videos Colglazier uploaded to the streaming website DLive also show him mocking Black Americans killed by police. In one video he says, “I spit on the name George Floyd.”
When the Texas Tribune asked Huffines whether he would retain Colglazier, he sent a defiant written statement. “If I were to go through the social media history of any young Texan I would find something I disagree with,” Huffines wrote. “My campaign will not participate in cancel culture.”
Huffines will likely lose to Greg Abbott in the primary, but he has successfully tilted the Texas governor even further to the right on a number of issues, including the border. On Huffines official website, border security takes the top spot under “issues.” In language similar to the rhetoric used by the El Paso shooter, Huffines claims that as governor he will “stop the invasion.” On his Twitter account, he also appears to oppose the relocation of more than 3,000 Afghan refugees to Houston.
Huffines’ refusal to fire a staffer with ties to white nationalism may be a new low for a campaign steeped in xenophobia, but perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
A longtime writer and journalist, Jessica was thrilled to join the Texas Signal where she could utilize her unique perspective on politics and culture. As the Features and Opinion Editor, she is responsible for coordinating editorials and segments from diverse authors. She is also the host of the podcast the Tex Mix, as well as the co-host for the weekly SignalCast. Jessica attended Harvard College, is a onetime fitness blogger, and has now transitioned to recreational runner (for which her joints are thankful).
