GOP Presidential Field Criticized For For Courting Serial Sexist Erick Erickson

Written by Oliver Willis

Published

Numerous organizations are criticizing Republican presidential candidates who attended Fox News contributor Erick Erickson's RedState Gathering this weekend, after he disinvited Donald Trump over sexist remarks despite his history of sexist and bigoted comments.

Erickson hosted his annual RedState Gathering August 6-9, billing it as “a very grassroots event.”  In attendance  was most of the Republican presidential field, including Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. Rick Perry, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Carly Fiorina, Sen. Marco Rubio, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. Jeb Bush, and Gov. Scott Walker. Several current Republican members of Congress were also in attendance.

Erickson barred Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump from the event for his sexist attack on Fox host Megyn Kelly, asserting “his comment about Megyn Kelly on CNN is a bridge too far for me.”

But Kelly's fellow Fox host Greta Van Susteren took note of Erickson's hypocrisy, writing, “You have to love the irony of Erick Erickson disinviting Trump when Erickson has said the worst things about women.”

Erickson has said that males should be “dominant” over females, claimed women should be “at home” while men bring “home the bacon,” and labeled Michelle Obama a “Marxist harpy wife.”

And several organizations are now calling out the Republican presidential candidates that are continuing to court Erickson despite his long history of bigoted, sexist comments.

In a statement to Media Matters, MoveOn.org said, “Erick Erickson is an extremist, plain and simple. He's attacked working moms, the LGBTQ community, and others. His record of out-of-bounds remarks is a long one, and GOP presidential candidates' pandering to Erickson and his ilk show that they are out of touch with American voters and out of line with mainstream American values.”

Planned Parenthood Action Fund noted, “GOP presidential hopefuls are currently gathering in Atlanta to stand side by side with extreme right-wing pundit Erick Erickson -- infamous for his hostility to women and incendiary remarks that include comparing pregnant women to 'female animals' and referring to a female Democratic candidate as 'Abortion Barbie'.”

EMILY's List criticized the 2016 presidential field for siding “with a man who believes women should not be in the workplace and calls women lawmakers names like 'Abortion Barbie,'” adding, “Donald Trump and Erick Erickson are just symptoms of a larger problem. At its core, the ideology that Republican Party policies are grounded in is a fundamental distrust of women.”