Republican lieutenant governor nominee E.W. Jackson said last week in a radio interview that the Democratic Party is “anti-God,” and that Christians should leave it.
WLEE radio host Jack Gravely brought up issue in the interview with past statements from Jackson that he thinks believing in God and voting Democratic are fundamentally incompatible. Gravely explained that he’s a Christian and tends to vote Democratic, just like his parents and family. Jackson didn’t back down.
“You are saying for us, we’re all wrong, leave that party. And all I’m saying to you is, if you said it before, you still have to believe it, why did you say it?” Gravely asked.
“Oh, Oh, oh I do believe it,” Jackson responded.
“I said it because I believe that the Democrat party has become an anti-God party, I think it’s an anti-life party, I think it’s an anti-family party. And these are all things I think Christians hold to very dearly,” Jackson said.
In a press statement, the Democratic National Committee said it sees Jackson’s latest comments as evidence that the party isn’t serious about being more inclusive after its much-discussed autopsy report issued earlier this year.
“The actions and rhetoric of EW Jackson and his scandal-plagued running mate are an embarrassment but the sad fact is that they are the standard bearers of today’s Republican Party that are pouring in resources in direct support of the Virginia Republican ticket. It’s high time for the Republican Party to stand up to the extreme elements that are calling the shots in today’s GOP, but I won’t hold my breath,” DNC communications director Michael Czin said in an email.
Virginia Republican Party chair Pat Mullins also distanced himself from the Jackson statement in a statement to the online news site Salon.
“I do not agree with that statement,” Mullins said. “My parents were Democrats, and I’ve got a lot of Democratic friends in Christian churches all around Virginia.”
Share
AFP
