Was Martin Luther King a Republican?

Some seem to think so:

National Black Republican Association

NBRA billboard just off of exit 145 of I-26 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. In the background are DOT signs directing traffic to Columbia and Charleston with a daily traffic count of 60,000!


Apparently the Tennessee GOP thinks the same thing:

TENNESSEE REPUBLICAN PARTY HONORS DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

NASHVILLE, TN - The Tennessee Republican Party marks the 40th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Friday, April 4) with the following statement:

On the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his words still echo through time to call Americans to uphold America’s promise of justice, equality and freedom.

Growing up in a Republican household, Martin Luther King Jr. embraced the bedrock Republican ideals of liberty and justice for all - ideals that were considered radical and dangerous by the Democratic establishment of that era.

“Dr. King exhorted America to fully become a place where people are judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin, and his fellow Republicans responded by passing Civil Rights legislation over the objection of many Democrats of that era.” said Robin Smith, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party and a member of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission.

“Dr. King’s tragic death in Memphis 40 years ago this Friday didn’t kill his dream and, 40 years later, liberty and justice for all remain the bedrock ideals of our party.”