Controversial U.S. Senate candidate says Kennewick hotel won’t allow his event

A challenger to U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has been denied the use of a Kennewick hotel for an event, according to his campaign staff.

An organizer of the campaign of Joey Gibson of Vancouver said the hotel backed out of the Saturday event booking because of “leftist threats.”

Gibson organized a pro-President Donald Trump free speech rally in Portland in June 2017. The event grew to include thousands of demonstrators and counter-protesters in downtown Portland, with 14 people arrested as counter-protesters clashed with police.

Derrick Lancaster, who is working on Gibson’s campaign, claimed the threats allegedly made to the hotel came from people in Seattle and Portland who oppose Gibson.

The Tri-City rally is now scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at John Dam Plaza in Richland, said a news release.

An hour later at 3 p.m., Tri-City students plan March for Our Lives, as part of a national movement to end school gun violence, at Howard Amon Park.

Among the posts on Gibson’s Facebook page is a video called, “Brave Student Stands Up and Confronts Classmates During Gun Control Walkout.”

Although the media release did not name the hotel where Gibson initially planned to hold the event, the candidate’s Twitter account last week announced the “meet and greet” would be at SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Kennewick, the hotel that connects to Three Rivers Convention Center.

Hotel management did not return a Herald phone call about the issue Wednesday afternoon.

Gibson, who is running as a Republican, identifies himself on Facebook as “new right” with a conservative libertarian ideology.

The Libertarian Party of Washington put out a media release last week saying it rejects any claim that Gibson is a Libertarian.

“Republicans often like to claim to be Libertarian leaning to distance themselves from the failed programs and failed platform of the Republican Party,” said Chris Rohloff, with the Libertarian Party of Washington.

The Benton County Republican Party has “a formal but evolving process to vet and endorse candidates,” said Bill Berkman, chairman of the county party. “We look forward to meeting and discussing Mr. Gibson’s candidacy as a Republican candidate.”

The county party meets with any independent or Republican candidate who requests it.

Gibson founded the group “Patriot Prayer” in Vancouver, which bills itself as fighting corruption and big government with the strength and power of love. It has held multiple rallies in liberal areas on the West Coast.

In June, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler tried unsuccessfully to get the permit for Gibson’s Patriot Prayer free speech rally canceled, saying it could further inflame tensions. In May, two men on a light-rail train were stabbed by a man police say was shouting anti-Muslim slurs.

Gibson held a moment of silence at the June rally for the two men who died and he pleaded with the crowd to refrain from violence. He later told them that the goal is to wake up the liberty movement. “It’s OK to be a conservative in Portland,” he said.

The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver reported that members of conservative nationalist groups, militia organizations and others from the so-called alt right were at the rally.

The suspect in the Portland train killings, Jeremy Joseph Christian, had attended a similar, previous rally and was ejected from it.

Gibson acknowledged in a Facebook video that some rallies have attracted “legitimate Nazis.”

Lancaster said Gibson does not tolerate such people or associate with them. He pointed out that Gibson is of Japanese descent.

Gibson’s campaign website says he is running on the issues of term limits, the fair tax, a balanced budget and building the middle class.

This story was originally published March 21, 2018 at 7:51 PM with the headline "Controversial U.S. Senate candidate says Kennewick hotel won’t allow his event."