COVID-Denying GOP Candidate Claims He's Entitled to Call Himself a 'Morehouse Man' Despite Never Attending Morehouse College

I’m an Ivy League-educated white woman.

Although my DNA and college degrees might tell a different story, the fact that the predominately white university I attended used Yale locks on all of its dormitories means that I technically graduated from a Yale university, which, of course, makes me a “Yale man.”

Furthermore, Florida State University’s economics department is housed in the Bellamy Building, which is made of brick, some of which are cocoa-colored, which means I also graduated from a brown university. And I’ve purchased items from Jo-Ann Fabric and Hobby Lobby so, according to the logic of Georgia Republican congressional hopeful Rick McCormick, when the police pull me over, they should treat me as if I’m a white woman.

McCormick, who did not attend Morehouse College, is a physician and part-time conspiracy theorist running to represent Georgia’s 7th District in the House of Representatives, where one out of every five residents is Black and another 20 percent are immigrants. So how does a Republican candidate compete in a rapidly-diversifying district that’s only 46 percent white?

Easy. You just call yourself a “Morehouse Man.”

In television ads and campaign literature, McCormick and the Black people who support him repeatedly refer to the Morehouse College not-alumnus as a “Morehouse Man.”

Although McCormick has never attended Morehouse College, McCormick did attend medical school at the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), which is not affiliated with Morehouse in any way. To be fair, MSM was affiliated with the all-male historically black undergraduate institution for six of Morehouse College’s 153 years (from 1975-1981), so according to McCormick, he’s “entitled” to call himself a Morehouse Man.

“Dr. McCormick is immensely proud to have taught at Morehouse, obtained his Medical Degree from Morehouse School of Medicine, been elected by his diverse peers as Student Body President, and to have spoken at graduation,” campaign spokesman John Simpson told the Journal-Constitution. “He doesn’t see why he shouldn’t be able to share that honor with voters.”

Actual Morehouse men, however, feel differently, including one white tweeter (he works at The White Firm, so according to McCormick Logic…)

McCormick’s political blackface ruse wouldn’t be so egregious if he was trying to help actual Morehouse men. Instead, McCormick has promised to eliminate Obamacare, fight Medicare for All and extinguish the “radical left,” including “Nancy Pelosi and her socialist Squad.”

Wait…it gets worse.

McCormick has also been criticized by actual doctors for his misinformation about the coronavirus. More than 100 Georgia healthcare professionals signed a letter asking the state medical board to suspend McCormick’s license for spreading COVID-19 misinformation.

“These issues are not those of simple partisan disagreements over policy,” reads the letter to the letter to the president of the Medical Association of Georgia. “We take issue with Dr.McCormick because the misinformation he is promoting is not only scientifically incorrect, it also undermines policies that are evidence-based and serves to further polarize our citizens along ideological lines rather than reaffirming the basic public health principles that have been proven effective in pandemic response. We believe this should be disqualifying for a candidate to be endorsed by the Medical Association of Georgia.”

McCormick has also refused to disavow the endorsement of QAnon conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is so far-right that her own party rejected her.

I disagree with the haters.

As someone who is actually a “Morehouse man,” (I attended a cookout at my friend Maurice’s house, whom we call “Mo,” which is how Black men say “more,” so…) I think McCormick is entitled to his claim as a “Morehouse Man.” In fact, he should be entitled to all rights and privileges associated with being a Black man.

And, as a white woman, I’m doing what any white woman would do when they see a Black man engaged in “suspicious activity.”

I’m calling the police right now.