Brooks is seeking the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District race.
In 2019, Bob Brooks made two Facebook posts supporting reportedly conservative ideas. He is now running as a Democrat to represent Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.
One of the posts made by Brooks referred to former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick as a “douchebag”. Brooks reacted to Nike stopping sales of a new sneaker that included the Betsy Ross flag on its heel after Kaepernick reportedly told the company that the flag is connected to slavery being legal.
Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem in protest of police brutality in 2016.
“The first thing in a long time both republicans and democrats are doing together! Thanks douchebag for helping bring the country together on something,” Brooks wrote. Underneath his comment was an image of the Betsy Ross flag with a message: “Colin Kaepernick doesn’t like this flag, so I’m gonna share it.”
Another post made by Brooks in 2019 was a repost of a meme that supported Second Amendment rights and cited other problems in society as the reasons for mass shootings, rather than the firearms themselves.
The post showed the words “The problem is not guns, it’s hearts without God, homes without discipline, schools without prayer, and courtrooms without justice” over an image of Clint Eastwood holding a rifle from a movie poster for “Gran Torino.”
In the corner of the meme was a Punisher skull with a Roman numeral III, which is a symbol of the Three Percenters. The group is described as a militia that is opposed to the federal government.
On Monday, Brooks released a statement apologizing for the posts.
“I’m proud of my record of service as a first responder and union leader. Politics is nasty – a bunch of DC insiders who don’t want more working people in office are selectively digging up years-old Facebook posts. I’ve shared a few stupid things over the years, and for that I am sorry. I believe who I’ve fought for and my values have always been clear.”
After the posts were made public, Governor Josh Shapiro doubled down on his support for Brooks’ candidacy.
“As the Governor has made clear, Bob Brooks is the candidate to win this race and be the fighter the Lehigh Valley needs in Congress,” said Shapiro’s spokesperson Manuel Bonder in an email on Monday.
The Working Families Party has also reinforced its endorsement of Brooks.
“Bob is the only candidate in this race that… supports progressive policies like Medicare for All, and has fought for working people throughout his life,” said Nick Gavio, a spokesperson for the party, in an email.
