Self-avowed 'White Christian Nationalist' staffer forced from GOP congressional campaign
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A campaign staffer for a Republican nominee in a competitive Minnesota congressional race resigned Thursday after his many racist and violent social media posts were highlighted by the rival DFL campaign.
Republican Eric Pratt and Democrat Matt Little are competing in the closely watched race for U.S. Rep. Angie Craig’s seat in the 2nd Congressional District that runs from south of the Twin Cities through exurbs and into farm towns.
Pratt, a state senator from Prior Lake, announced his staffer’s resignation and strongly condemned the posts. His statement read, in part: “I have always been clear that antisemitism, racism, and discrimination of any kind have no place in our politics or our communities.”
Austin Brown was hired as a field director and moved to Minnesota from Ohio for the role. Though now inaccessible, his X account had been public until Thursday and he identified himself as working for the Pratt campaign on his social media accounts.
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Brown posted many aggressive statements up through 2026, including calls for transgender people to be put in “asylums,” a post calling for immigration agents to physically attack observers and posts railing against Jewish and Muslim people. In one post, Brown calls himself a “White Christian Nationalist.”
Little, Pratt’s opponent and a former state senator, highlighted the posts and gathered community leaders and DFL lawmakers at the Minnesota Capitol on Thursday to call for the staffer’s removal.
“This type of rhetoric from a candidate or their staff is unacceptable,” Little said.
Imam Yusuf Abdulle, the executive director of the Islamic Association of North America, urged Pratt to remove Brown from his campaign.
“When Jewish people face antisemitism, Black Americans are attacked through racist stereotypes, or Muslims and other communities are demonized for political gain, the dignity and safety of every American is threatened,” Abdulle said.
The Pratt campaign did not respond to questions about why Brown’s public posts hadn’t prevented him from being hired.
