Turning Point's Candace Owens has been paid over $40,000 for GOP fundraisers in the past 9 months

Written by Eric Hananoki

Published


Melissa Joskow / Media Matters

Candace Owens, who recently said that Adolf Hitler would have been “fine” if he focused just on Germany, is heavily involved in the Republican fundraising circuit. The Turning Point USA (TPUSA) communications director and frequent Fox News guest is scheduled to do or has done a dozen GOP events since May 2018, and she has already received over $40,000 in speaking fees.

As BuzzFeed News reported, Owens claimed during a December launch event for Turning Point UK: “If Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, OK, fine. The problem is that he wanted -- he had dreams outside of Germany. He wanted to globalize. He wanted everybody to be German, everybody to be speaking German, everybody to look a different way. That's not -- to me, that’s not nationalism. … I have no problems with nationalism.” Owens was condemned for the remarks after video from the event was recently publicized.

Despite her comments, the Boulder County Republicans in Colorado hosted Owens as the keynote speaker for its annual fundraising dinner on February 9.

Owens’ commentary about Hitler is the latest problem for TPUSA. As The Daily Beast’s Will Sommer wrote, “Last October, members of a Turning Point chapter in Florida were revealed to be sharing racist memes in a group chat. In 2017, the New Yorker reported that a high-ranking TPUSA member once wrote ‘I hate blacks.’ Owens has frequently clashed with other conservative personalities, including Fox News’ Tomi Lahren. Rapper Kanye West, whose endorsement rocketed Owens to fame, eventually distanced himself from her in October.”

Owens has also attacked the #MeToo movement. She’s claimed that the movement has “turned sexual assault into a trend and simultaneously drowned out the voices of real rape victims— who deserve to be heard” and that #MeToo is evidence of “how vicious and cunning women can be when they feel scorned.”

Media Matters previously reported that conservative media personalities such as Jeanine Pirro, Pete Hegseth, and Sebastian Gorka have cashed in by touring the GOP speaking circuit.

The following are Republican events that Owens is scheduled to speak at or has spoken at since May 2018, along with her speaking fees in 2018. (The speaking fees are accessible by searching government campaign finance databases.)

  • Owens is scheduled to speak at a May 16 event for the Republican Committee of Lower Merion & Narberth in Pennsylvania.
  • Owens is scheduled to speak at a May 10 event for the Snohomish County Republican Party in Washington state.
  • Owens is scheduled to speak at a March 2 event for the Lincoln Reagan Gala Committee, which helps Republican organizations, in Virginia.  
  • Owens spoke at a February 9 event for the Boulder County Republicans in Colorado.
  • The Republican Committee of Chester County in Pennsylvania paid Owens $7,500 for speaking at an October 30, 2018, event.
  • The Hernando County Republican Executive Committee in Florida paid Owens $7,500 for speaking at a September 29, 2018, event.  
  • The Hawaii Republican Party paid Owens $7,500 for speaking at a September 20, 2018, event.
  • The Alabama Republican Executive Committee paid Owens $5,000 for speaking at an August 24, 2018, event.
  • The Stark County Republican Party in Ohio paid Owens $5,000 to speak at a July 30, 2018, event.
  • The Republican Party of Arkansas paid Owens $5,000 for speaking at a July 21, 2018, event.
  • Roger Allison’s unsuccessful congressional campaign in North Carolina paid Owens $7,043.80 for speaking at a July 20, 2018, event.
  • The Bridgeport Republican Town Committee in Connecticut paid Owens $1,000 for speaking at a May 24, 2018, event.