Elk statue reappears at Trump rally at Oregon Capitol
As thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump rallied in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Nov. 14, a smaller and rain-spattered crowd gathered outside the State Capitol building in Salem.
OPB reporter Sergio Olmos estimated the crowd size at a "Defeat the Steal" rally in Salem at about 200.
One attendee stood out in particular: the metal-cast statue once erected in downtown Portland to support the Black Lives Matter Movement.
A look at the “Defeat The Steal†rally in front Oregon State Capitol. The blue tent is asking for anyone who knows of voter fraud to come and report it. #Election2020 pic.twitter.com/6VlkMNw7rz
— Robby Sherman (@BobbyShootsNews) November 14, 2020
The statue, known as "Nightmare Elk," replaced a city-owned statue that was removed due to fears of damage from protesters demonstrating outside the Justice Center. "Nightmare Elk" was snatched by conservative activists on Oct. 10, and hadn't been seen publicly until Saturday's rally, where it was dubbed "patriot elk."
"No counter-protesters, just a lot of this," Olmos wrote, referring to a cavalcade of cars draped in American, Trump and pro-police flags. Videos from the scene showed a smaller gathering than last Saturday's "stop the steal" rally, held in the same area.
The leaders of the Republican Party of Oregon have not made any public allegations of voter fraud in Oregon, though the GOP's candidate for Oregon Attorney General, Michael Cross, said he was collecting affidavits of unlawful activity at the ballot box.
"I think Trump won Oregon," Cross said, according to a video posted by Olmos. "I think I won. I should be the next attorney general."
A recent poll by Politico/Morning Consult found that 70% of Republicans don't believe the 2020 elections were free or fair. Mainstream media outlets, such as the Associated Press, have found no evidence of a rigged election, however.
Proud boys of Oregon pic.twitter.com/vRWAVNTyQ0
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) November 14, 2020
Zane Sparling
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