Why Joey Gibson thinks he has a shot at defeating Maria Cantwell

Senator Maria Cantwell is a Democratic heavyweight. She won her last election with 60 percent of the vote. Joey Gibson believes he has what it takes to defeat her.

“Washington is ripe for a revolution, not necessarily a revolution for Republicans, but it’s ripe for revolution,” Gibson told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson. “We have people who are sick of the system. They are tired and done with the establishment. So there is an opportunity for me to take advantage and jump in there.”

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The candidate has garnered attention through his group, Patriot Prayer. He goes from city-to-city holding rallies and counter-protests, promoting Conservative ideals and free speech. Gibson has been called a neo-Nazi or a member of the alt-right in the media. Gibson rejects those associations, but he welcomes the press.

“We’ll use it to our advantage,” he said. “It’s amazing how many people now follow what I do because they hear about this ‘white supremacist’ and they go, ‘Who is this guy?’ And then they hear my speeches and like what I have to say. The media is taking people to us. It doesn’t take very long to realize who we are. We got tons of people of color, gay, straight, it doesn’t matter. If you stand up for freedom, especially the First Amendment – that’s what we’ve been standing up for over the past year.”

“I already have a bunch of Bernie supporters in Patriot Prayer because I talk about corruption,” Gibson said. “I will get a lot to vote for me, or they won’t vote for Maria Cantwell … Maria Cantwell is like a little, mini-Hillary Clinton. That’s the way people look at her and she is. She just does whatever helps her bank account or whatever her party wants her to do.”

Joey Gibson vs. Maria Cantwell

Gibson is running as a Republican, even though he may not have the support of the major party.

“I’m a gamble, I’m a wildcard … so yeah, it’s going to upset some people in the establishment without a doubt,” Gibson said.

“It’s kind of a new age Republican, that new right,” he said. “It has Libertarian ideology mixed into it. For example, I don’t care if gay people want to get married. Let them get married. That’s a losing battle. Same thing with marijuana. I don’t think we should be throwing people in jail for smoking marijuana. It’s a Conservative, Libertarian ideology.”

Gibson is also targeting issues of health care, pro-life stances, and setting term limits for politicians. He favors a flat sales tax of 23 percent, known as a national consumption tax or a fair tax. Proponents argue this will simplify the tax code and eliminate loopholes.

He argues that Cantwell is “bought and paid for.” Therefore, he feels he has an edge on the Democrat.

“The one thing I have that she doesn’t is we can garner attention,” he said. “I have the passion. I am honest. And I am sincere. And people will feel that. When we go around giving speeches, the protesters will help get us get media attention. I believe I can put a fire in people’s hearts that she cannot.”