‘Politics sucks’: GOP’s Corey Stewart quits field altogether

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — The Virginia Republican who campaigned heavily on preserving Confederate monuments and attracted right-wing extremists during a failed U.S. Senate bid says he’s leaving politics “until and unless the Commonwealth is ready” for his views.

“Politics sucks,” Corey Stewart told The Washington Post in a story than ran Tuesday. “On a personal level, it’s been a disaster.”

Stewart said he won’t seek another term as chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, where he’s spent 15 years.

He lost to Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine last November. Before that, he ran unsuccessfully for Republican nominations for governor and lieutenant governor.

An acolyte of President Donald Trump, Stewart once likened moderate Republicans to toilet paper, and proudly told the Post he was a pioneer in pushing for hardline approaches to undocumented immigrants.

Stewart said he severed ties with right-wing extremists who supported his calls to preserve Confederate monuments after learning about their racist beliefs, but the controversies hurt his law practice. Stewart said it lost half of its revenue after a major automobile client cut ties.

The 50-year-old said that he needs “to make some money.”

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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com