Georgia GOP’s new adviser echoed far-right themes online
A Republican activist recently tapped as a “special adviser” to Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon to help the party leverage technology to reach new voters has a history of xenophobic and hateful social media posts, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review.
Brad Barnes, who describes himself online as a “national populist,” has amplified white nationalist social media messages claiming “ethnonationalism is the social norm” and made an antisemitic remark mocking Mexico’s Jewish president in a now-deleted post.
He has also shared posts stating that “culture is the social expression of genetics,” echoing a scientifically debunked ideology promulgated for decades by white supremacists that racial groups were genetically predisposed to certain behaviors.
He also has promoted a call for “remigration” of the United States, a term widely used in far-right circles as a euphemism for large-scale deportation or repatriation of immigrants.
“Mass Remigration is the MODERATE sensible and centered position,” he posted in October 2024. “The problems are obvious and undeniable now even to the most casual of morons. However many of the solutions are not nearly as nice. Remigration the simple sensible solution.”
Barnes did not return repeated requests for comment on social media, cellphone and email. McKoon, who tapped him to the unpaid advisory post in October, declined to comment this week.
Barnes has been involved in conservative Georgia politics for several years, but his influence is very limited.
He ran for a deep-red, Rome-based state House seat in 2020 and 2022, both times finishing far behind incumbent Republican state Rep. Katie Dempsey in the GOP primary. He also unsuccessfully sought a party post.
On his now-deleted campaign website, he described himself as a “Georgia First Republican” and took mostly conventional GOP positions, with a few exceptions.
He pledged to stop both illegal immigration and “mass immigration,” which he described on his website and in some social media posts as “displacement.” He also vowed to stop “anti-white racism and racial scapegoating.”
The review of his social media messages, which echoes an analysis by political pundit Bill Simon, found a number of other contentious posts.
It showed his profile previously described him as a “fren to 🐸 accounts,” a reference to online communities associated with far-right imagery.
He’s also repeatedly called to “deport” judges and Democratic officials who take positions he opposes and recently criticized plans for a new professional cricket stadium in LaGrange as “colonization.”
Some longtime activists called for Barnes’ ouster, worried that his affiliation with the state party could damage the GOP headed into a volatile midterm.
“He needs to step down or the Georgia GOP needs to remove him,” said Debbie Dooley, a prominent conservative leader. “There is no place for racism in the Republican Party.”
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
