A Democratic primary race for a probate judge seat in Plainfield is getting national attention after it was revealed that the husband of one of the candidates is a white supremacist.
"I am pro-white because there is so much anti-white."
Robert Freeman
Plainfield attorney Anna Zubkova's chances at becoming a probate court judge may have been seriously diminished after it was revealed late last week that Zubkova's husband, Robert Freeman, was a member of the notorious, now-defunct white supremacist group National Alliance.
One People's Project, an organization that monitors hate groups, and who outed Freeman last week, said they have known about Freeman's activities for years. Freeman is on the organization's Rogue's Gallery, a who's who of prominent white supremacists.
Freeman now claims to be a member of National Alliance 2.0. He also writes a pro-white blog, Mindweapons in Ragnarok. As recently as last week, he wrote, "I am pro-white because there is so much anti-white."
Freeman told The Daily Beast that he doesn't hate other races, and never uses racial slurs.
"I'd say that's white supremacy 2.0, it's the kindler, gentler Klan," said University of Hartford sociology professor Dr. Woody Doane. Doane said the extremist rhetoric of white supremacist groups in the past can be a turn-off for potential new members. "I think there is a strategic recognition that denying hate while still essentially espousing the same platform can be much more popular," he said.
Anna Zubkova told The Norwich Bulletin that Freeman became a white supremacist after their marriage in 1997, and that as a judge, she would not discriminate against anyone.
Zubkova faces fellow Democrat Andrea Truppa in Tuesday's primary, but according to the One People's Project website, she has already petitioned her way on to the November ballot as an independent candidate.
Correction: An earlier version of this story erroneously referred to Plainville, not Plainfield.
