GOP Senator Tells Hispanics It’s Their Own Fault That They Have Higher COVID-19 Infection Rates

North Carolina GOP Sen. Thom Tillis falsely claimed that Hispanics in his state don’t wear face coverings as much as other people, which is why they make up a higher percentage of COVID-19 cases.

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Tillis’ comments came Thursday during a telephone town hall with his constituents.

“Just wear the mask out of respect,” the GOP senator said, according to The Hill. “And I will tell you, I’m not a scientist and I’m not a statistician, but one of the concerns that we’ve had more recently is that the Hispanic population now constitutes about 44 percent of the positive cases.”

He added, “We do have some concerns that in the Hispanic population we’ve seen less consistent adherence to social distancing and wearing a mask.”

Of course, the idea that Hispanics aren’t wearing masks as frequently as other demographic groups is utter nonsense.

In fact, as The Hill pointed out, polling shows that White Americans are consistently less likely to report wearing a mask or supporting the use of face coverings compared to African Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanics.

Thom Tillis’ bad week just got worse

Sen. Thom Tillis was already in the fight of his political life in a competitive Senate race against Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham.

According to RealClearPolitics, Cunningham is leading the GOP incumbent by about four percentage points in a state Donald Trump carried four years ago.

This week, Tillis hasn’t done himself or the GOP Senate majority any favors.

On Monday, he urged his constituents to just forget about the past six months when they cast their ballots in November – to just pretend that 140,000 Americans haven ‘t died and millions aren’t out of work.

“Nothing to see here, just vote for me,” appears to be his new campaign theme.

Following up those foot-in-mouth comments, Tillis is now blaming the Hispanic community for the fact that they are getting infected at an alarming rate.

Unseating this Republican incumbent in North Carolina is critical for Democrats as they seek to regain control of the U.S. Senate in November. This week, Thom Tillis is helping advance that cause.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.