GOP state rep fights back after losing committee assignment, funding over 'great replacement' theory post: 'Never racist'

A young Republican state representative in Michigan who lost his committee assignment and funding allotment after he retweeted a social media post that referenced the "great replacement theory" has refused to back down, insisting that it is "never racist to assess statistical trends."

The so-called "great replacement theory" posits that Western nations are importing illegal immigrants, most of whom are not white, with the hope that they will someday surpass the voting power of native white citizens. To support the theory, Tucker Carlson and others have demonstrated that immigration encouraged by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 has caused the American population to skyrocket, even as fertility rates among American citizens have plummeted.

Liberals have actually discussed the substance of the theory for years. A decade ago, progressive journalist Forrest Wilder wrote that "shifting demographics" in Texas, especially in the "Latino population," might eventually turn the state blue since "Latinos tend to vote Democratic."

"Given that Anglos are already a minority of Harris County’s population," he added, "you would think the Houston area would be ripe for Democratic success."

While leftist talking points and empirical data seem to bear the "great replacement theory" out, Democrats almost uniformly howl in outrage when anyone happens to notice. Such was case last week after Michigan state Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) retweeted a graphic depicting the theory.

To say Michigan Democrats had a meltdown would be to understate the issue. State House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) not only called the post "blatantly racist," but he even claimed that it "uplifts a dangerous and tortured narrative that fosters violence and instability" and "contributes to a hostile environment."

Tate also took aim at Schriver personally. "Representative Schriver has a history of promoting debunked theories and dangerous rhetoric that jeopardizes the safety of Michigan residents and contributes to a hostile and uncomfortable environment for others," Tate railed in a statement. "The House of Representatives is the people’s house, and all Michiganders should look upon this body and take pride in how we conduct ourselves."

Not to be outdone, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a far-left Democrat, claimed Schriver used "abhorrent rhetoric" that "goes against our state and national values."

Even some Republicans piled on their party colleague. "I condemn, in the harshest of terms, the words put forth this week by Representative Josh Schriver and the whole offensive idea of 'The Great Replacement,'" said a statement from state Sen. John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs).

In reprisal for the post, Speaker Tate stripped Schriver of his place on the House Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Committee as well as all funding to pay for office and staff. Schriver otherwise retains all other rights as a member of the state House.

Despite the melodramatic accusations of racism, Schriver has doubled down on his belief that the "great replacement theory" is no theory at all but a reality playing out all over the Western world.

In a statement in response to the uproar, Schriver wrote that American leaders have implemented "a racist plan to replace Whites with non-Whites through illegal immigration to irreversibly warp" our national identity. He then noted that a U.N. report from nearly 25 years ago had already acknowledged that "replacement migration" may be necessary to prevent a country's "population decline and population ageing resulting from low fertility and mortality rates." He also mentioned CRT and DEI as evidence that race-based ideologies have taken root in the American workforce and education systems.

"It is never racist to assess statistical trends and causes of why Whites have declined to 12% of the world's population and fell from 90% to 60% of the U.S. population in the last 60 years," he continued.

His letter also denounced all forms of "hate" and racism as "sinful and stupid" but insisted that name-calling will never silence him. "Painting me as something I am not — a bigot — will not work. Americans want solutions, not these played out politically correct games," his letter concluded.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!