Benton County Republicans endorsed him. Now they’ve taken it back

A Richland City Council candidate has lost the backing of the Benton County Republican Party after coming under scrutiny his social media posts and personal attacks on city leaders.

Bill Berkman, chairman of the Benton County Republican Party, confirmed the party has withdrawn its support for Lloyd Becker, who is challenging incumbent Sandra Kent for a nonpartisan position on the seven-member council.

The party’s central committee held a special meeting over the weekend and approved a motion to pull its support. Leaders initially indicated the matter would be discussed at a regular session on Nov. 2, shortly before ballots are due.

“I’m confident that no one in the organization took pleasure in this action. Nevertheless, we deliberated on facts and arrived at this decision,” Berkman said.

Becker was one of GOP-endorsed 14 candidates appearing on the Nov. 7 ballot in Benton County.

Two weeks ago, party officials said they were reconsidering their support for Becker following a series of personal attacks on two of the city’s two female leaders and concerns about some of his social media posts, including a tweet containing Nazi references following a terrorist attack in Europe.

Becker is running against the city council’s move to levy a $20 car tab fee to support construction of the Duportail Bridge and fund pavement work throughout the city. Becker has said there is other money available to cover the city’s share of the bridge, with is largely funded by the state.

Benton Republicans aren’t alone in supporting nonpartisan candidates. Benton Democrats as well as both the Franklin County Democrats and Republicans have to varying degrees endorsed and recommended candidates for nonpartisan posts on city councils, school boards and even a water district board. Benton Republicans only endorsed candidates who sought the party’s support.

Ballots have been mailed and must be returned or postmarked by Nov. 7.

This story was originally published October 30, 2017 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Benton County Republicans endorsed him. Now they’ve taken it back."