Lewis again grapples with fallout from old on-air remarks
The one-term Republican from
Lewis, who has declined interview requests to talk about
"
Craig, who lost narrowly to Lewis in 2016, called Lewis' words offensive but said her campaign would focus more on his record in
"I obviously don't believe that comments like these represent
Among the most recently unearthed comments, one excerpt found Lewis openly contemplating the use of the word "slut" to describe women.
"Now, are we beyond the days when a woman can behave as a slut, but you can't call her a slut?" Lewis said on his show in 2012.
While Alery called the clips old news and an attempt to gin up outrage,
"He's made a lot of deeply offensive comments about women and minorities and many others and that can absolutely drive up support for a campaign looking to unseat him," said
In 2012, Lewis said that blacks had fought hard alongside a number of whites so "they could take care of themselves and not be told what to do. Now you've got the modern welfare state that tells black folks and Hispanic folks and poor white folks: 'Don't worry. We'll take care of you.' What is the difference? You've substituted one plantation for another."
Lewis has reported threats against him and his daughters since news stories have run about his remarks. He also recently wrote a piece for
While he isn't as visible on women's issues, Lewis has made criminal justice reform a top priority of his first term and has spoken out about how the system unfairly targets people of color.
Craig is taking a broader view of Lewis' comments.
"His words are offensive, but frankly I'm even more offended by the votes he's taken that reflect these beliefs," Craig said.
She cited votes to reduce insurance protections for people with pre-existing conditions, his opposition to abortion and votes to defund
Craig said she's seen an uptick in online contributions since CNN reported on his radio comments.
But
"When you're on the radio, it's a different world than politics. ... Jason did a lot of devil's advocate stuff on the radio," Cheney said.
"Jason has done so much for our district and people trust him," she said.
House Speaker
"He was a shock jock; that was his job at the time," Ryan said in July. "I've seen some of these comments. And I obviously don't support these comments. But the Jason Lewis I know here ... has been nothing but an exemplary congressman who represents his constituents well."
"They're calculated -- it's built into the business model of the industry," Berry said. "You don't attract listeners on talk radio by being thoughtful and measured and calm. Instead, you attract listeners when you're bombastic and outrageous and vulgar."
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