Former Congressional Candidate Arrested for Trespassing
Jim Russell, a former Congressional candidate whose campaign was derailed by revelations of writing essays that were viewed as racist, was arrested outside The Journal News headquarters on Thursday by Harrison police and charged with trespassing and harassment.
According to published reports, Russell had been warned by his lawyer to stay away from the property after he had been spotted there several times.
Russell, a 57-year old Hawthorne resident, unsuccessfully challenged Nita Lowey (D-Harrison) to represent the 18th District in 2008 and 2010. During the 2010 campaign, it was discovered that Russell had written essays for the Occidental Quarterly, which has been described as a racist publication by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Following the revelations, Russell unsuccessfully sued several media outlets, including The Journal News, for defamation. The lawsuit was thrown out last month.
Russell’s writing criticized interracial marriage and was also viewed as anti-Semetic. The Republican Party withdrew its endorsement of Russell and called for him to drop out. He refused, and garnered 38 percent of the vote, a nine percent improvement from 2008.
Russell was released following his arrest and ordered to stay away from The Journal News headquarters.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.