Tag: Rowan County, North Carolina

David Ermold returned to the Rowan County courthouse Wednesday, nearly two years after Clerk Kim Davis refused to give him a marriage license because he was gay. This time he's seeking Davis' job. David Ermold, the English teacher whose bid to capture the office won national attention, failed to survive a four-person Democratic primary, while Davis, who refused Ermold and his partner a marriage license in 2015 while citing “God’s authority,” had no opposition as a Republican. “David Ermold never had local support and had no clue what the clerk does on a daily basis.” Davis said in an interview at her office Wednesday morning that “the people have spoken, and they have spoken loudly.” She said their message is they wanted the election to be about who would make the best clerk. Morehead Mayor Jim Tom Trent said Ermold lost only because he ran against a better-known and more experienced politician who sought the same office four years ago — and came within 23 votes of defeating Davis in that primary. “They have no more clue what Americans want than David Ermold has about running the clerk’s office,” he said. But Republicans who support Davis are just as eager to cast their ballots for her in the fall. As she sat in the Coffee Tree Books/Fuzzy Duck Coffee Shop, where Ermold announced his campaign, she said she supports Davis “100 percent, because I am a Christian, too.” Morehead City Councilman Tom Carew said that Ermold worked hard — and his message resonated in Morehead, one of Kentucky’s first cities to adopt a fairness ordinance. Several Rowan County voters, like retired accountant Steve Schafer, 77, who was enjoying a drink at the Fuzzy Duck, said they just want the controversy to go away. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/andreww

David Ermold returned to the Rowan County courthouse Wednesday, nearly two years after Clerk Kim Davis refused to give him a marriage license because he was gay. This time he's seeking Davis' job. It was about local politics and a seasoned candidate who defeated one who was lesser known. David Ermold, the English teacher whose bid to capture the office won national attention, failed to survive a four-person Democratic primary, while Davis, who refused Ermold and his partner a marriage license in 2015 while citing “God’s authority,” had no opposition as a Republican. Morehead Mayor Jim Tom Trent said Ermold lost only because he ran against a better-known and more experienced politician who sought the same office four years ago — and came within 23 votes of defeating Davis in that primary. Trent said Caudill was an overwhelming favorite and the “fact that David received nearly 1,000 votes in an Eastern Kentucky town running as an openly gay man says a lot about where our community has come from since the controversy a few years ago. “They have no more clue what Americans want than David Ermold has about running the clerk’s office,” he said. But Republicans who support Davis are just as eager to cast their ballots for her in the fall. As she sat in the Coffee Tree Books/Fuzzy Duck Coffee Shop, where Ermold announced his campaign, she said she supports Davis “100 percent, because I am a Christian, too.” Morehead City Councilman Tom Carew said that Ermold worked hard — and his message resonated in Morehead, one of Kentucky’s first cities to adopt a fairness ordinance. More: Gay man loses bid to challenge Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who denied same-sex marriages More: Amy Schumer, Susan Sarandon give cash to Kentucky clerk Kim Davis' would-be opponent Follow Andrew Wolfson on Twitter: @adwolfson