Executions for Abortions? Deport Muslims? Christian Nationalism On the Ballot in Tennessee
From calls to ban mosques to AI Crusader videos, two candidates are pushing Christian nationalist agendas to the forefront of Thursday’s Republican primaries.
Christian nationalism is on the ballot this week in Tennessee.
Two candidates—state Representative Monty Fritts, who wants to be Tennessee’s next governor, and Congressman Andy Ogles, who is seeking re-election to his seat in the U.S. House—have run decidedly Christian nationalist campaigns in their Republican primaries.
What happens in both of those races likely will be an indicator of the strength of the Christian nationalist wing of Tennessee’s Republican Party—an anti-democratic faction that would deny constitutional protections for those whose religious views and customs they despise.
Monty Fritts made it clear in his conversation with me, as well as many other interviews, that he would attempt to use the governor’s office to impose his conservative Christian views on others. That includes outlawing mosques and, if possible, Islam and other religions he considers to be “pagan.”
And Fritts refuses to rule out the possibility, if he gets his way, that even women who seek abortion care could face execution.
Andy Ogles, whom my investigations have proven to be a serial fabricator, has tried to salvage his political career by running to the extreme far right, portraying himself in AI-generated images and videos as an anti-Muslim Christian Crusader from the Middle Ages.
He has called for deporting all Muslims.
Below is what I will be watching when the votes are counted Thursday night.
Monty Fritts’ surprise showing
Polling and conventional wisdom suggest Ogles might be in trouble in his quest for a third term, not because of his Christian nationalist views, but because of his reputation as Tennessee’s own George Santos.
But Fritts, a self-identified Christian nationalist, appears to have stunned the GOP political establishment in Tennessee with his underfunded, but better-than-expected showing against two much more established Republican candidates.
Fritts, who insists he has been “called by God” to run, has generated a degree of social-media enthusiasm unlike anything I have ever seen in Tennessee politics.
Watch an excerpt from my interview with Fritts below:
One poll shows the second-term legislator closing the gap with U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn and Congressman John Rose. In fact, in the last week, surrogates for Blackburn, who was once considered unbeatable, have turned their attention to attempting to portray Fritts as a dangerous “ideologue.”
To be clear, such Christian nationalist rhetoric is not unprecedented for Fritts, but none of Blackburn’s MAGA allies have ever felt the need to take a principled stand for the separation of church and state prior to Fritts’ surge in the polls.
Coincidence? It seems unlikely.
On Tuesday, Fritts posted a video in which he blasted the “corrupt,” “fake news” media. He also lashed out at “weak male politicians,” an apparent reference to the Blackburn supporters who have criticized him.
Then, he turned his ire on the Christians who have emailed him to express concern about his controversial views.
“I would offer you, as a Christian, you should repent,” he continued. “If you are not taking a stand for the name of Jesus, then you are compromising for idolatry.”
You can watch Monty Fritts’ video below:
In addition, as I first revealed, Fritts’ volunteer-dependent campaign has included a man who calls Jews “a malevolent force throughout history,” praises Adolf Hitler as “a great man,” and urges Black Americans to “return to Africa.”
Dane Chisholm, a Nick Fuentes follower who is also running for a county commission seat in rural Hawkins County, produced and appeared in two social-media videos for the Fritts campaign.
Read more below:
Yet, the Christian nationalist candidate refused to disavow him, and there is no evidence that it has affected Fritts’ campaign for governor.
Given Fritts’ lack of funding to compete against the tens of millions being spent in the governor’s race, it would be the equivalent of an NBA half-court buzzer-beater—or a Super Bowl Hail Mary—if he were to win the GOP nomination.
Even a loss, however, will be an indication of the strength of his Christian nationalist ideology among Republican voters.
‘Muslims don’t belong in American society’
“As certain Christian Nationalists (emboldened by the president) grow more vocal and confident in their messaging, some high‑profile lawmakers are embracing language that most Americans would deem unacceptable. No one represents this alarming trend more than Rep. Andy Ogles….”
That quote, from Americans United for Separation of Church and State, took aim at anti-Muslim rhetoric that might have “sounded like something from an obsolete religious extremist group decades ago.”
“Muslims don’t belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie,” Ogles had posted on X.
Back in January, he posted an AI-generated video, set to music, that depicted him as a knight from the Crusades marching into battle.
“We must stand and reaffirm that this is a Christian Nation. This is a battle of good vs evil,” the caption declared.
In March, the Tennessee Republican posted a video of a xenophobic speech delivered at the New York Young Republican Club gala.
“America is a product of English Christian culture. NOT Islamic culture. NOT progressive culture,” Ogles added.
“If we don't cease to import Islam, the West falls.”
Another post read: “Paperwork doesn't magically make you American. Muslims are unable to assimilate; they all have to go back.”
Americans United warned of the “dangerous ripple effects” of such language.
“If we wish to live in a country where people of all religions—and none—can live freely and equally, we must call out this rhetoric for what it is: Dangerous and un-American religious extremism,” the group argued.
But that’s not all.
Earlier this year, I reported that Ogles had boasted of his A+ “Remigration Score” from a shadowy group that I linked to a person who believes it is “necessary” to develop “something resembling” the 25-point party platform of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, although it would need to be “re-tooled for modern Western countries.”
Read more below:
Yet, none of the Tennessee Republicans who are trying to salvage Marsha Blackburn’s campaign has spoken out against Ogles on these issues. A well-funded PAC now targeting Ogles, financed by renewable energy executives, has attacked the congressman’s history of lies, not his anti-Muslim rhetoric.
If the two-term congressman goes down in defeat this week, it will primarily be because of questions about his character—not because anyone took a stand against his anti-Muslim, Christian nationalist rhetoric.
I’ll update this post Friday morning with the results of the election.
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This really scares me ! There is nothing even remotely Christian about these people! In fact if Jesus showed up right in front of them they would throw him in one of their concentration camps and then deport him to El Salvador! God help us!