Tea Party star Allen West recently announced he would run for Senate in 2016 should Marco Rubio run for president. Known for his caustic comments and outspoken bigotry, West represented Florida’s 22nd Congressional district from 2010 to 2012. He narrowly lost to Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy in 2012, despite outspending Murphy by a 4:1 margin.
Among his many unsavory and controversial connections, West has extensive ties to organized Islamophobia. After West was pressured into retirement from the military in 2003, David Horowitz called him “Man of the Year” for violating army interrogation procedures and abusing a detainee. In 2007, West became a frequent contributor to Atlas Shrugs, Pamela Geller’s horrifically Islamophobic blog. West joined Brigitte Gabriel and spoke at the annual Act! for America conference in 2011.
West has also lent his support to broader anti-immigrant causes. Two years ago, West described undocumented immigration to the US as an invasion. This past July, West spoke at a failed DC march organized by the anti-immigrant front group Black American Leadership Alliance.