GOP shredded by Indiana newspaper for silence around candidate accused of choking daughter

An Indiana newspaper shredded local Republicans for their refusal to speak out against a GOP candidate who allegedly choked his teenage daughter.

Roosevelt Stewart, who's seeking a Common Council seat in South Bend, was recently arrested on domestic battery charges after his 15-year-old daughter told police he got drunk in August and punched and choked her.

Stewart has has denied the allegations, however, and St. Joseph County GOP chair Tyler Gillean has offered only a vague response, reported the South Bend Tribune.

“So he’s on the ballot," Gillean said. "Legally, there’s no way that he could have dropped off if he wanted to, and there’s no mechanism by which he could have been off. Roosevelt — he’s going to be on the ballot as a Republican."

Mayoral candidate and fellow Republican Desmont Upchurch stands out among Republicans for withdrawing his support from Stewart, but only after admitting his own guilty pleas in past assault and larceny cases, and his Democratic opponent Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers didn't even acknowledge the allegations during a recent candidate forum.

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"Voters don't know whether the Republican Party wants him off the ballot or continues to support his candidacy," wrote the Tribune's editorial board. "Gillean's public stance hasn't developed much since he released a statement in August after Stewart's arrest, saying the party strongly condemns domestic violence, but not answering whether the party will strip its support from Stewart."

Stewart has claimed that his daughter has changed her story, which suggests he's illegally been in contact with her despite a court order, and the editorial board called on the Republican Party to clarify the situation before next month's election.

At last week's forum, Gillean noted that he thinks the case is "still tied up in that (judicial) system.”

"Stewart's trial is set for Jan. 11, which means a judge won't rule on the case before the Nov. 7 election," the board wrote. "But the party isn't tied up, and there's no good reason it can't let the voting public know where it stands on a previously endorsed candidate."