David Steinhof is the leader and convener of Citizens Organized to Restore Rights (CORR), a Christofascist coalition of conservative and right-wing groups in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He is a dentist in Fall River, MA, where he has owned Steinhof Dental on North Main Street since 1990. According to his profile on Ballotpedia, Steinhof was born and raised in Fall River and received his dental degree from Tufts University in 1989.
CORR has joined forces with Super Happy Fun America (SHFA), an alt-right formation with a long history of antisemitism, violence, anti-LGBTQ+ hatred, and ties to the Far Right. Steinhof has complimented SHFA for their violence against counterprotestors, saying, “They don’t hesitate to stir it up on the streets and bring down and fight those people from antifa that come by.” Despite SHFA’s record of violence and hatred, or because of it, Steinhof speaks glowingly about the group: “We’re with this group, we are tied at the hip; Super Happy Fun is phenomenal.” Steinhof has publicly stated his own willingness to resort to violence; when at a networking gathering in Auburn, MA, he said, “We as Americans are obligated to defend our constitution, peacefully if we can, forcefully if we must.” He frequently invokes language of war and fighting other Americans and encourages CORR members to get a license to carry a gun. At a CORR meeting in January 2022 he said, “The revolution started by the founding fathers never ended, it’s ongoing.”
Steinhof has run for office multiple times unsuccessfully. In 2012, he ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Massachusetts’ 4th District, but lost in the Republican primary. He ran as the Republican candidate for the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 6th Bristol District in 2013, 2014, and 2018, losing each time to Democrat Carole Fiola. In the 2018 general election Steinhof received only 37.7% of the vote.
Steinhof has been accused of of domestic violence. In 2014, the Herald News exposed court documents that contained allegations by Steinhof’s estranged wife that he physically abused her for several years. The allegations include:
- Steinhof beat the family’s dogs with his fists “multiple times”
- he threw cats across the room in front of her, their children and his staff
- he threw her against a kitchen counter and slammed her into a door
- he was a spouse with a hair-trigger temper who frightened their two young daughters and sometimes abused the family’s pets
- Steinhof has punched through doors and walls at his home and office, and that he repeatedly assaulted her, on one occasion ripping out her earrings
- Steinhof’s wife said he punched and shattered the windshield of a car
At the time the article was written, court files indicated that a judge had granted Steinhof’s wife a protective order against him, and extended it three times.
More Resources:
“With ties to hate groups, #ParentsUnitedRI offers slate of conservative extremists for local office,” Uprise RI, September 29, 2022
“Taunton-area officials with ties to ‘alt-lite’ group say they are not members,” Daniel Schemer, The Taunton Daily Gazette, September 21, 2022
“Taunton City Councilor accused of making threats against city resident,” Ken Paiva, Fall River Reporter, September 22, 2022
“Far-right protesters gather outside FBI office in Chelsea,” Alexander Thompson & John Hilliard, Boston Globe, August 21, 2022
“Far Right Group Behind Boston’s “Straight Pride” Also Organized ‘Reopen’ Protest,” William Rivers Pitt, Truthout, May 5, 2020
“Homophobic Stunts in Boston Part of Long-Term Far-Right Pattern,” Dan Feidt & Jenn Schreiter, Unicorn Riot, February 21, 2020
“The organizers behind Boston’s Straight Pride Parade should concern you,” Casey Quinlan, ThinkProgress, July 6, 2019
“‘Straight pride’ parade organizer has held and attended far-right events,” Jason Wilson, The Guardian, June 8, 2019
“Far-Right Street Brawlers Just Can’t Escape Their Violent, Hateful, and Bigoted Roots,” David Neiwert, Daily Kos, May 27, 2019
“Massachusetts has a white supremacy problem. Pride Month is just the latest victim,” Amaad Rivera, Commonwealth Journal, June 14, 2019
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