The Lawrence County Republican Party apologized Monday for a photo it posted containing the GOP elephant with subtly placed Ku Klux Klan imagery.
The graphic was used on a Facebook post thanking Daniel Stover for his years as chair and announcing his decision to step away from the role.
The post named Shannon Terry as the new chair of the county party.
Terry said the picture was chosen inadvertently without noticing the imagery.
“I would like to offer a deep and sincere apology for a picture that temporarily appeared on this page last night,” Terry posted to the group’s Facebook page. “A google search picture of a GOP elephant was used and later found to have hidden images that do not represent the views or beliefs of the Lawrence County Republican Party. The picture was then immediately replaced. As chairman I take full responsibility for the error.”
The graphic originally accompanied a 2020 Mother Jones story calling the Republican Party “racist and soulless.” The KKK imagery is formed by adding black eyeholes in between the legs of the elephant, creating the illusion of white hoods in the negative space.
House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels called the picture “disgusting” on Tuesday in a tweet with the KKK imagery circled.
