Pete Snyder, GOP Candidate for Governor, Invokes ‘Trail of Tears’ While Talking Sports with Radio Host
Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Pete Snyder, who is recently released a campaign video complaining about “voter fraud,” recently invoked the “Trail of Tears” on a radio show while talking about college sports.
Snyder was discussing college basketball with host John Fredericks, who touts himself as “America’s Godzilla of the TRUTH!” on the John Fredericks Radio Network website.
“John, I love it,” Snyder said to Fredericks. “The problem is we’re not going to be in the tournament. Unfortunately, the Trail of Tears that is to be a fan of my Tribe, the William and Mary Tribe, continues. We are one of four teams in America that have never made the big dance. It used to be called the forgotten five but actually one school graduated out of it, and there are only four teams in America that have never made the big dance. When I was the Chairman of Athletics – when I was on the board – we were one rimshot away from getting in. We were almost there. But we fell last night to Northeastern, 63-47, so the Trail of Tears continues, Johnny. We’ll just be drinking heavily.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Fredericks responded. “Poor Tribe can’t get in the tournament.”
The William & Mary Tribe men’s basketball team has never made it to the NCAA “March Madness” tournament.
The “Trail of Tears” is the name given to the route that thousands of Native Americans took starting in 1838, after the U.S. military forcibly removed them from their homelands in Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia and made them relocate to Oklahoma, pursuant to the Indian Removal Act. More than a thousand Cherokee died on the Trail of Tears, and as many as several thousands more died from the forced migration.
In a recent campaign video, Snyder vowed to “stop the liberals from rigging the system” and expressed support for “voter I.D. and verification for all ballots.” Multiple studies have shown that voter fraud does not exist on a massive scale that would impact election results. A study by conservative think tank Heritage Foundation found just over 1,200 cases of voter fraud over the course of 20 years, resulting in 1,100 criminal convictions.
After the 2020 presidential election, state and federal courts dismissed more than 50 lawsuits from then-President Donald Trump and his supporters challenging the election on the basis of voter fraud.
