Republican gubernatorial candidate for Missouri is an honorary KKK member

Darrell Leon McClanahan, a man with an “honorary” membership with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), is slated to appear on the top of the Republican ballot for Missouri’s gubernatorial primary election in August.

On Wednesday, an X post from former Missouri State Rep. Shamed Dogan shed light on McClanahan’s ballot appearance, his affiliation to white supremacist groups and his run for the U.S. Senate in 2022.

Hey @MissouriGOP I just learned the candidate listed first on our primary ballot for Governor is a cross-burning KKK member who ran for US Senate 2 years ago and freely admits his KKK membership & white supremacist beliefs. https://t.co/AZTGrAl7X0 pic.twitter.com/z7ilIo5k4d

— Shamed Dogan (@ShamedDoganMO) February 29, 2024

McClanahan responded to Dogan’s post asking him to respectfully cease making “defamatory statements” about him.

An Anti-Defamation League (ADL) article from 2022 details McClanahan’s affiliation with several far-right hate groups like Christian Identity, the Knights Party and League of the South, the last being a group that advocates for Southern secession from the United States. A compilation of McClanahan’s social media posts can be found in the article, which include extremely racist, antisemitic and homophobic content.

McClanahan filed a lawsuit against the ADL in response to the article. In his own court filings, McClanahan admitted to being an honorary member of the Knight’s Party Ku Klux Klan, the League of the South and “pro-white man.” The case was thrown out by a federal judge in December 2023, with the judge saying the case failed to demonstrate a legitimate claim of defamation, libel or invasion of privacy.

The Missouri Republican Party responded on X on Thursday, saying they have begun the process of removing McClanahan from the ballot and condemning his association with hate groups.