"Yes sir, I'm planning it," Couy Griffin, an elected Otero County commissioner and founder of the group Cowboys for Trump, told Business Insider when asked if he would be attending the August 22 event. Griffin, who last month said Black athletes who are critical of the United States should "
go back to Africa" — and earlier said "
the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat" — is one of several elected Republicans and Republican candidates who will be in Curry County, which straddles the border with Texas, for what organizers bill as both a peaceful protest and a voter registration drive.
New Mexico state Sen. Pat Woods, a Republican, described the rally as a "GOP grand opening event," confirming to Business Insider that it was the same event described in a flyer as "paying special tribute to NM law enforcement and the New Mexico Civil Guard." A fundraiser for the event, since removed from GoFundMe, said the rally would "honor the New Mexico Civil Guard for their bravery and recent heroic, life-saving practices."