JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A state house race in our area is catching national headlines after Republican candidate Marshall Rawson pulled off a surprise victory in the August Primary.
Those stories primarily focus on Rawson’s presence at the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, which left one person dead and 35 injured after a self-identified white supremacist ran his car through a crowd of counterprotesters.
In a video posted on social media, Rawson described his participation in the event this way.
“Me and my wife were at Charlottesville with another couple to defend the memory of Robert E. Lee and the home of Thomas Jefferson,” said Rawson.
We reached out to Rawson, who provided an additional explanation for his attendance.
“I went with my wife and another couple to defend the Lee and Jackson Monument. We arrived late on the second day after the march and after police dispersed a riot,” said Rawson. ”Pictures are of us and a large group walking back to the parking lot.”
Rawson has also drawn criticism for his past affiliation with the League of the South, a group designated as a white supremacist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League.
“The League, to my knowledge, dissolved several years ago and I haven’t been with them in over a decade,” Rawson told Action News Jax.
But Rawson did acknowledge speaking at an event hosted by the organization as recently as 2021.
“One of the local gals asked me to speak. I spoke on the ills of communism,” said Rawson.
We reached out to Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power asking whether the state party has taken a position on Rawson’s candidacy.
We didn’t hear back.
Meanwhile, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried issued a statement on Rawson earlier this month.
“Their continued inaction makes one thing clear: the Republican Party of Florida is okay with racists, antisemites, bigots, and white supremacists carrying their banner,” said Fried.
When asked whether he considers himself a white supremacist or white nationalist, Rawson responded this way.
“I’ve always treated people with dignity — people who know me know this. I’m the only candidate in this general election who isn’t obsessed with race,” said Rawson. ”I’m focused on issues that matter to all people — issues of affordability, immigration, and overdevelopment that affect us all and that are all intertwined.”
Rawson does face a Democratic challenger in November, Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson.
“Our community and our Nation needs someone like me who strongly wants Florida to succeed, not secede,” said Malwitz-Jipson in a statement. “There is no place for racism, antisemitism, white supremacy, or political violence in our communities or in the Florida Legislature.”
The district leans heavily red, with Republicans winning the seat by a 48-point margin in 2024.
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