Christian nationalists behind drive to replace California's Newsom and install Larry Elder: report

According to a report from Right Wing Watch, leaders of the Christian nationalist movement in California are engaged in a full-court press to get evangelical voters to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and replace him with far-right radio host Larry Elder who has been courting them for their support.

With election day fast approaching and millions of California voters already shipping back their mail-in ballots, Right Wing Watch reports "Christian nationalist and dominionist pastors in California have declared their intention in recent years to transform the state by turning out enough conservative evangelical voters," and see Elders as their ticket to the governor's office in the heavily Democratic state.

The key to Elder's longshot chances is in the hands of Ché Ahn, a Pasadena-based leader of the dominionist New Apostolic Reformation, who recently spoke at a Donald Trump rally and urged voters to recall Newsome.

According to Peter Montgomery of Right Wing Watch, "Ahn resisted California's COVID-19-related restrictions on church gatherings and won a legal judgment against the governor. But he didn't stop there. On Thursday night, Ahn co-hosted a town hall with Elder sponsored by another Trump-promoting pastor, Samuel Rodriguez, and his National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Rodriguez claimed that Newsom's policies are 'anti-Latino' and 'anti-people of faith.'"

The report goes on to not note that Jack Hibbs, a pro-Trump pastor, used a recent Sunday worship service to hype up Elder to parishioners and -- although he has previously complained about "ballot-harvesting" when done by Democrats -- now has had a change of heart about ballot collection when it comes to ousting Newsom.

"Hibbs and his church are among those conducting an ambitious ballot collection operation of their own, as he bragged about during a recent appearance with his close ally and recall proponent Charlie Kirk, head of right-wing youth organizing group Turning Point USA," Montgomery wrote.

Montgomery also reported, "A Sept. 2 California Pastors Town Hall sponsored by the Salt & Light Council focused in part on the recall election. Bishop Art Hodges urged pastors to bring their ballots to church and to portray voting as a sacred duty. 'It is our duty as Christians in America,' he said, to ensure God's continued blessing on the U.S. by 'choosing leaders who will honor biblical values and morality.'"

Greg Fairrington, the pastor of Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin, is also jumping into the fray, telling his followers that Newsom's policies "have continually contradicted the Word of God and have been in opposition with the millions of Christians in California."

You can read more here.