ORONO, Maine (AP) - A collegiate group of Republicans can no longer claim the University of Maine College Republicans title after it was granted to another group.
Two groups of students filed with student government to use their name for their student organization, Bangor Daily News reported Friday
The previous group, led by students Charlie Honkonen and Jeremiah Childs, was embroiled in controversy during the fall 2019 semester.
Senior Anna Zmistowski leads the new group and wants to bring the UMaine College Republicans back to the tradition of getting students involved in politics and campaigning for Republicans.
Zmistowski said she and others began to think about creating a new group after Honkonen and Childs’ group, now called UMaine Constitutional Republicans, posted 15th-century Spanish war propaganda on Indigenous Peoples Day.
Zmistowski filed papers with the student government to incorporate her group as the UMaine College Republicans six days after Honkonen and Childs’ group hosted right-wing speaker Michelle Malkin.
Malkin has written that it’s “of questionable wisdom” to allow Muslims to serve combat roles with the U.S. military and called Lewiston a “refugee dumping ground.”
Student government Vice President Taylor Cray said the decision was made in light of concerns from moderate Republicans who felt underrepresented.
“When we made that decision, it was based on both what we thought would be best for the student body and what would be best for student government precedent moving forward,” Cray said.
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