Rantz: Blue-haired socialist threatens Sen. Cantwell’s reelection

A blue-haired socialist who traffics in antisemitism is the latest candidate to challenge Washington U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell for office. And while the radical has no chance of winning, she poses a legitimate problem for the incumbent Democrat.

Aria Ursa, a contractor for Sound Transit, announced her run via social media. Ideologically, she says she’s a socialist, but is officially registered as a Democrat. Ironically, she argued that she’s running as a Democrat because third-party candidates cannot win presidential elections.

Who is this political newbie and why is she a threat to Cantwell? When not working on transportation projects, the political newcomer spends an awful lot of time demonizing Israel. And that could steal just enough Democrat votes to matter.

An obsession with Israel?

Ursa has been a vocal supporter of the pro-Hamas marches each weekend in downtown Seattle where participants defend terrorist actions against Jews as “justified,” call for a global “intifada,” and demand Israel cease to exist on its land. She also helped organize the failed rally to disrupt the New Year’s fireworks show at the Space Needle (they did not, in fact, “shut it down”).

Post after social media post, Ursa criticizes Israel, claiming she’s fighting against “genocide” (note: The Palestinian population doubled in Gaza). She belongs to a Facebook group called The Palestine Solidarity Committee-Seattle, which accuses Israel of being a “racist state” for 73 years and with members complaining of the “Zionist propaganda.” Ursa also seems to believe Israel is or wants to be an ethno-state. On her Facebook page, Ursa even compared Jews to Nazis by referencing the Holocaust in a textbook case of antisemitism.

“I’m watching a modern holocaust thru my phone … The Greatest Generation didn’t have a 1st person video account of Auschwitz before the U.S. entered WWII. Boomers didn’t have the same before Vietnam. We do for this tho,” the radical posted.

Ursa is calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, which presumably means it would only apply to Israel, not Hamas terrorists. In fact, good luck finding Ursa criticizing Hamas, let alone acknowledging it’s a terrorist group.

Israel criticism fuels Ursa’s campaign

Ursa spends some time detailing positions beyond criticism of Israel that the Radical Left would find appealing. She says she supports police defunding, vows reparations for the “BIPOC Americans,” and believes the federal minimum wage should be raised to $25 an hour. But it’s her obsession around Israel that seems to consume her.

The radical activist says she’s running, in part, to tackle government corruption and the influence of lobbyists. But she seems transfixed on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC, which she mispronounces in her campaign videos), a lobbyist group routinely targeted by antisemites.

“If you’re anything like me, you’re tired of foreign interest lobbyist groups like AIPAC having more sway in our government policies than American voters and taxpayers,” she announced in an introductory campaign video on TikTok.

Ursa complained that she’s been emailing and calling Sen. Cantwell for over a month to demand the senator support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. She said she’s been ignored. She implied that AIPAC has purchased Cantwell’s support for Israel with almost $400,000 in donations over her political career.

“I will be running as the non-AIPAC, non-lobbyist corrupted candidate,” Usra declared.

She rejected the claim that she’s antisemitic, arguing I don’t know the definition of “Semite,” and declined an interview. She followed up in several emails and phone calls by threatening a lawsuit for defamation unless I “completely remove this article from the internet.” It was a reference to Rantz: Anti-Israel protesters had planned to disrupt New Year’s Space Needle show where she is mentioned once.

Ursa will hurt Cantwell

A literal sack of potatoes has a better chance than Ursa of becoming our next Senator. In fact, that sack might actually get more write-in votes in November. But that doesn’t mean her campaign won’t matter. In fact, it poses a threat to Cantwell.

There’s a large contingent of narcissistic, Radical Left activists in the Seattle area. Plus, they share Ursa’s hateful and ignorant position on Israel. Democrats generally support Israel, and that goes for Cantwell and President Joe Biden. That support is turning off radical activists who are organized and are generally reliable voters. Now, they have one of their own running! She looks like them! Didn’t you see her blue hair? Pretty cool, am I right?

If those radicals are as true to their views as they claim, it means they won’t vote for Cantwell. Whether they get to Ursa or choose not to vote at all doesn’t matter. Either way, it benefits the Republican candidate for Senate, Dr. Raul Garcia, who needs around 40% of the vote in King County to win statewide office as a Republican. But that’s assuming the rest go to Cantwell.

A path to victory … for Dr. Raul Garcia

Cantwell is vulnerable as Washington’s forgotten senator. She avoids the limelight because she doesn’t really do anything but serve as a rubber stamp for Democrats. She seldom does interviews and is unlikely to commit to more than one debate with Garcia, desperate to hope the D next to her name is enough to keep her in a position of power. And that’s all she has: hope.

There are no die-hard Cantwell supporters because of how little she pretends to do for Washingtonians. Ask Democrat party officials what Cantwell’s signature issue is, and they’ll scratch their heads before retreating to some general statement about supporting … women’s rights. Or voting rights. Or something. But she’ll have to take a stance on Israel and why she’ll probably try to please both sides, she’ll end up alienating everyone. But only the hardcore antisemites would choose not to vote for her unless she condemns Israel and pretends Hamas is full of “freedom fighters.”

If Ursa, and any other radical left-wing candidate who runs, can steal some Cantwell votes, it makes it just a little bit easier for a Republican actually to win statewide office. When Ursa’s campaign bombs, they may not vote at all, dejected that they don’t have anyone to amplify their antisemitism in the Senate.

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