While Democrats mourn the loss of Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., another civil rights icon passed with hardly any mention.
Charles Evers, who died this week at age 97, made history as a black mayor in segregated Mississippi.
Evers—the brother of Medgar Evers, a civil rights activist who was killed in Mississippi in 1963—was also a Republican who supported President Donald Trump.
Trump tweeted his mutual respect for the late “trail blazer” on Wednesday:
I am deeply saddened by the loss of my friend Charles Evers. Charles was a trail blazer in politics and a fearless leader, alongside his brother Medgar, for Civil Rights. pic.twitter.com/rL4bLbCY1D
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2020
Unlike Lewis—a notorious partisan who called Trump a racist and refused to attend his inauguration—Evers had a long history of backing Republican presidents including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
He even served as a delegate to the Republican National Conventions during the races against Bill Clinton in 1996 and Al Gore in 2000.
In 2016, Evers cast one of Mississippi’s six electoral votes for Donald Trump and reportedly described himself as an “independent Republican” like Trump.
“I’m a great believer in earning something. Democrats always want to give away something,” he said, adding that he was a longtime Trump supporter.
“He’s a multimillionaire,” Evers said. “I like rich folks. Can’t nobody buy him.”
