Kyle Rittenhouse during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Nov. 5, 2021 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Photo by Sean Krajacic-Pool/Getty Images)
This article is republished from the Northern Kentucky Tribune, a nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism.
Controversial gun rights advocate Kyle Rittenhouse is to be the special guest of a campaign fundraiser Oct. 9 for state House candidate TJ Roberts of Burlington.
The event will mark Rittenhouse’s second appearance in Kentucky this year. His appearance last spring at an event at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green sparked several protests on campus.
Rittenhouse, 21, gained national attention at age 17 for shooting three men in Kenosha, Wisconsin, two fatally, in August 2020 during protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Rittenhouse had left his home in Antioch, Illinois, and joined a group of armed people in Kenosha who said they wanted to protect private property.
He was cleared of multiple charges, including homicide, after claiming self-defense. Two civil lawsuits against him are pending.
The prosecution of Rittenhouse made him a celebrity among American right-wing organizations and media, gaining him meetings with former president Donald Trump and political commentator Tucker Carlson.
Roberts said he first met Rittenhouse when they both worked for the National Association for Gun Rights.
The fundraiser was initially scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Metropolitan Club, a private business club in downtown Covington. A minimum donation of $150 to attend was urged.
The venue was changed because the club became concerned after a death threat emerged on social media aimed at Rittenhouse. The post, since removed, appeared on X, formerly Twitter, as a threat to show up at the event, scare Rittenhouse and then shoot him.
The Roberts campaign said Thursday afternoon that the venue had been changed to a barbecue restaurant in Florence because of what it called “intimidation from the far left and threats of violence.”
Roberts is not a member of the club, but a member reserved the space without disclosing the nature of the “political fundraiser.” According to a source close to the Metropolitan Club, its board was not comfortable with exposing members to even the threat of violence or a police presence for security.
In a release Roberts said, “I will always stand against the cancel culture tactics employed by the radical left” and said that despite arranging for armed security provided by the Covington Police, the venue “caved to the mob’s intimidation.”
Roberts softened his criticism Thursday night, striking a more conciliatory tone. “I don’t blame the Metropolitan Club for what it did. Its board had to act accordingly after the death threat on social media,” he said.
Roberts said his fundraiser with Rittenhouse now will be held at Smokin’ This and That BBQ in Florence.
He said the owner of the restaurant “is a true American patriot who supports our First Amendment right to free speech and will not surrender to the pressures of those who seek to silence us. This is not just about our event — it’s a fight for the freedoms that make America great.”
Guy Cummins, owner of the barbecue restaurant, said he has held fundraisers for many organizations. “I’m a former Marine who tries to do what is right,” he said.
Cummins said he was “not very familiar” with Rittenhouse. Told a bit about him, Cummins said, “I understand that he was found not guilty. I expect everything will go just fine with this fundraiser.”
Three other Republican state legislators from the area are to be at the fundraiser: Savannah Maddox, Steven Doan and John Schickel.
Steve Rawlings, now state representative from District 66, is running for the state Senate to replace the retiring Schickel.
Peggy Nienaber of Burlington is the Democratic nominee running against Roberts in the general election ending Nov. 5.
Nienaber did not respond to an email, seeking comment about Roberts’ fundraiser.
But Jonathan Levin, the state Democratic Party’s communications director, said in an email, “TJ Roberts’ latest fundraiser with right-wing poster boy Kyle Rittenhouse is yet another reminder to voters that he’s an extremist with a disturbing view of the world that doesn’t belong in the General Assembly.
“Whether it’s spewing antisemitism, making light of school shootings hours after the tragedy in Uvalde, or disparaging Martin Luther King, Jr., Roberts has shown all of us that he’s unfit for office.
“Kentuckians deserve leaders who will address the real issues that matter most — like good-paying jobs and health care — instead of using their platforms to stoke fear.”
Roberts, in response, said, “There is nothing extreme or controversial about the right to self-defense. When the Democrats attempt to demonize and dehumanize Kyle Rittenhouse, they are attacking those who engage in self-defense, and making heroes out of rioters who attempt to murder law-abiding citizens.”