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Ohio lawmaker who blamed mass shootings on gay marriage and drag queens loses GOP primary

Ohio GOP had previously demanded State Rep. Candice Keller resign following comments on Dayton shooting
By John Riley on May 1, 2020 @JohnAndresRiley

An Ohio lawmaker who last year blamed gay marriage, transgender people, and drag queens for creating an atmosphere where mass shootings were possible, lost her bid for an open Senate seat to a fellow Republican earlier this week.

State Rep. Candice Keller (R-Middletown) made the comments on Facebook as part of a rant against liberals pushing for gun reform measures in the wake a mass shooting that claimed nine lives in Dayton, Ohio, last August.

In that post, Keller blamed the “breakdown of the traditional American family” as the primary reason why people commit mass shootings like the ones in Dayton and El Paso, Texas, where a similar massacre, claiming the lives of 29 people, had occurred just a day earlier.

She also cast blame on violent video games, legalized marijuana, “open borders,” former President Barack Obama, and Democratic members of Congress, among others.

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