During a TV debate last week, two of the three leading candidates for Missouri governor said they would call themselves “Christian Nationalists.” Both Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and state Sen. Bill Eigel acknowledged they would use that term after first clarifying the definition. The other main candidate, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, didn’t participate in the debate ahead of next week’s primary election. With Missouri transforming from a bellwether state to one that’s dark red over the past two decades, whoever wins the primary is most likely to move into the Governor’s Mansion in January to replace the term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Parson.
The debate question arose because U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley recently sparked national headlines as he embraced the term “Christian Nationalism.” Following the Show-Me State’s senior senator offering a fist-pump for the ideology, two other prominent politicians in the state have now joined others across the country in adopting the term as a badge of honor. While the race for the White House grabs most of the attention, Christian Nationalism moving into statehouses and governors’ offices could also greatly impact the lives of everyday Americans.
The limited polling shows any of the three main gubernatorial candidates could win. Former President Donald Trump underscored the closeness over the weekend when he announced he was endorsing … all three candidates. Unsurprisingly, all three quickly put out social media posts heralding they had been endorsed while ignoring the fact that the other two had been as well. The move by Trump not only demonstrates the conservativism of all three, but it also shows the closeness of the race as he’s worried about picking a loser.
Official photos of (from left) Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, and state Sen. Bill Eigel.
Ashcroft generally leads, enjoying name recognition as son of longtime Missouri politician John Ashcroft who served in statewide elected positions — including governor and U.S. senator — for a quarter-century (and also served as U.S. attorney general under President George W. Bush). Kehoe and Ashcroft have been preparing for the race for years, with both working to gain supporters even before the midterm elections two years ago. While Kehoe has the backing of the governor and several major agricultural and business associations, Ashcroft’s been a favorite of the Christian Right in the state and beyond. He’s been endorsed by figures like Mike Huckabee, Ralph Reed, and Jay Sekulow. He’s also been a featured speaker at numerous state gatherings of the American Renewal Project, an effort led by David Lane that seeks to inspire pastors to engage in politics and even run for office.
Then Eigel, a conservative firebrand state senator, jumped into the race after years of irritating his fellow Republicans in the Missouri Senate. Initially polling a distant third, Eigel has hit double digits in recent polls and even within the margin of error away from second. He’s picked up MAGA-world endorsements from figures like Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and pillow-hugger Mike Lindell. He’s also courted evangelicals and Pentecostals, including with a recent campaign stop at a politically-active church and through embracing the Christian Nationalistic pine tree flag.
There are six more candidates technically running, though the only one who’s received any attention is a former honorary KKK member the state GOP unsuccessfully sought to remove from the ballot after his KKK affiliation made headlines. His social media and the headshot used by media outlets features “Price’s Flag,” a banner used by Confederates in Missouri during the Civil War that includes a white cross inside a blue rectangle with a red border.
With more than one-quarter of primary voters saying they are still undecided, any of the three major candidates could win. Even if Eigel cannot close the gap, he could be a spoiler in the tight Kehoe-Ashcroft race since the nominee only has to win a plurality of the vote (as seen eight years ago when Eric Greitens won the nomination with less than 35% of the vote, but then resigned as governor after just 16 months amid various scandals). That makes the Christian Nationalism question in the debate and a recent church campaign stop by Eigel worth considering. So while the matchup between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris grabs most of the attention, this issue of A Public Witness looks at a state gubernatorial campaign that demonstrates how Christian Nationalism is being normalized and adopted in politics today.
Christian Nation & Christian State
During a contentious and often petty debate last week, Eigel and Ashcroft snapped at each other, the absent Kehoe, and the moderators. This included when the topic of Christian Nationalism arose. Immediately after the two candidates both agreed, even while being rude to each other, on a strict abortion ban (without exceptions for rape or incest) and that frozen embryos should have the same legal protections as a fetus developing in a womb, a moderator asked about Christian Nationalism. Noting that Hawley now used the term to describe his ideology, the reporter asked if the candidates would similarly use that term. Ashcroft immediately requested clarification.
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