Reverend Jarrett Maupin Endorses Ben Quayle: “He’s My N*gga”

For the second straight election, African-American civil-rights activist Reverend Jarrett Maupin has endorsed Republican Congressman Ben Quayle.

Yes, politics aside, the Phoenix Democrat wants Quayle to stay in office — mostly because he’s a cool, young guy.

“He’s my nigga,” Maupin tells New Times.

Maupin’s definitely not pleased with the kind of campaign Congressman David Schweikert — Quayle’s primary opponent — is running, and after Schweikert recently made a big deal over Quayle going swimming in Israel, Maupin’s speaking out in support of Quayle.

“To be degraded by your opponent because you’re cool — that should never be an issue,” Maupin says.

The Reverend noted that Schweikert also was on that trip to Israel and wants to know what exactly Schweikert was doing during all this, since he’s been on his high horse since the story came out.

“If he was in his bed bundled up under the blanket in his hotel room reading the New Testament, there’s something peculiar about that — and I’m a preacher,” Maupin says. “Why didn’t he get in the sea?”

Maupin says young people should stick with Quayle — at least, the young Republicans should — and says Quayle has more in common with Obama than he might think.

“Congressman Quayle represents an emerging new bench of talented Arizona political players,” Maupin says in a prepared statement. “People should support him in the primary, 20 and 30 year-olds especially. He’s cool, he’s one of us.”

Maupin further explained to us that on the “swagger test,” Schweikert scores a “negative 10,” and Quayle’s somewhere in the middle — “he’s not Eminem.”

All-in-all, Maupin thinks Quayle’s a good, young leader — like himself — who isn’t afraid to have a little fun now and then.

“He’s my nigga, and I understand him,” Maupin says. “I don’t know how else to say it.”

The endorsement of Quayle does not extend to the general election in November, Maupin added.