When it comes to running for any position at a given organization, it is common for candidates to seek endorsements from people, businesses, or other organizations. However, there are cases where some endorsements might look questionable, not for the candidates themselves, but for the place endorsing them. In this case, we’re talking about something that happened not long ago in Wyoming, where Park County Clerk candidate Jimmy Rush shared a photo saying the Cody Cowboy Church now backs him. While this may seem normal on the surface, several Wyoming residents started questioning whether a church is allowed to endorse someone during a campaign,
Not long ago, a Redditor shared a picture originally posted on Jimmy Rush’s Facebook page where he thanks the Cody Cowboy Church for endorsing him. In the post, he mentions meeting with Pastor Pat Alphin, who is “supportive and involved in politics.” You can also see how Rush left a sign of his campaign for Park County Clerk in front of the Cody Cowboy Church sign.
While many people praised Rush in the original post, it was not well-received on Reddit, where several users questioned the church, as they are supposedly not allowed to endorse any political campaigns, especially since they could lose their non-profit status as a church.
Yet this seems to have sparked a discussion in the Reddit thread, with one side arguing that someone should report the church, and others saying churches are now allowed to endorse political candidates.
Wyoming Redditors Debating On Whether The Church Did Something Wrong or Not
The Reddit thread quickly turned into a debate, with the majority arguing that the Cody Cowboy Church should not endorse Jimmy Rush.
“Rural America has become so damn deluded.“
“Absolutely report it.“
However, others have also shared that even if churches are allowed to endorse candidates now, they shouldn’t do it as an organization.
“It would still legally be OK as long as they weren’t endorsing said candidate in church but endorsing them as a private citizen, which has been and always was allowed because it’s protected by the First Amendment.“
In the end, it seems some people didn’t take the news well, but the law now allows churches to support political candidates, so neither Rush nor the church is in the wrong here. Still, many on Reddit believe that politics and religion should stay far apart.
