New York Democratic congressional candidate Paula Collins recently made controversial remarks regarding Trump-supporting Republicans. Collins suggested that those supporting the Make America Great Again agenda should be subjected to “re-education” following the 2024 election.
Paula Collins is challenging Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in New York’s 21st congressional district. During a recent public Zoom call, Collins said that even if there is a “resounding blue wave,” those associated with the MAGA movement should undergo “re-educating.” Interestingly, Collins noted the negative connotation that many could attribute to her comments, to which she suggested that her proposal of political reprogramming should not be branded as a “re-education camp.”
“Even if we were to have a resounding blue wave come through, as many of us would like, putting it all back together again after we’ve gone through this MAGA nightmare and re-educating basically, which, that sounds like a rather, a re-education camp. I don’t think we really want call it that,” she stated in the Zoom townhall. “I’m sure we can find another way to phrase it.”
However, Collins doubled down on her comments in an email to Fox News Digital that there was a dire need for “widespread civics education.” She insinuated that both parties acknowledge a need for such an initiative.
“We currently have lawmakers, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, who mis-quote or mis-understand the law,” Collins said. “Even if MAGA were to be resoundingly defeated, we would need to engage in widespread civics education, which both red and blue voters acknowledge has been slipping in recent years.” The Democratic challenger added that “the goal would be such that regular citizens could understand the process by which the state courts process matters, compared to the federal court circuit, and so forth.”
Collins further criticized her Republican opponent, asserting that Rep. Stefanik has insufficient knowledge of New York’s “court structure.” She said, “Rep. Elise Stefanik does not show a good understanding of the court structure in her home state of New York.” She continued, “Similarly, many voters have misunderstandings and lack of regard for basic judicial systems that underscore the need for civics education.”
Senior advisor to Elise Stefanik, Alex DeGrasse, called out Collins’s comments, blasting the idea of putting Trump supporters in “re-education camps.” He emphasized that Stefanik would decisively defeat the Democrat by a “historic margin.”
“This radical New York City Democrat Socialist who literally is renting a bed and breakfast room in NY-21 was caught on tape saying she wants to force Trump voters through ‘re-education camps,’” he stated. “Everyone knows she will be defeated by Elise Stefanik by a historic margin.” The advisor further stated that “this is yet another reason why President Trump, Elise Stefanik, and voters in Upstate and across America will clean the Democrats’ clocks at the ballot box this November.”
The American Tribune reported on Stefanik’s comments last year, in which she blasted Judge Arthur Engoron in the New York civil fraud case against former President Donald Trump. She suggested there was “inappropriate bias” and that Engoron’s conduct “has no place in our judicial system.”
Featured image credit: Paula Collins for Congress
"*" indicates required fields