Kim Davis challenger: Man whose marriage license she denied
MOREHEAD, Ky. — Shelly Phillips works in an office at the First United Methodist Church in Laramie, Wyoming, and rarely donates to political candidates.
But in December, she sent a small donation to David Ermold, who wants to be the next clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky, about 1,200 miles from where she lives. She’s one of more than 5,000 people from at least 48 states who have donated in increments of $10 and $20 to Ermold, giving him more than $200,000 for an election that could require as few as 900 votes to win.
It’s not likely Phillips will ever need anything from the Rowan County clerk’s office, which handles such matters as local vehicle registrations and elections. That doesn’t matter. Her interest in the farflung campaign is less about specific needs than a general principle: The LGBT activist wants to see a gay candidate defeat the clerk who denied him a marriage license.
It was three years ago when Ermold stood in disbelief as the current clerk, Kim Davis, told him “God’s authority” prevented her from giving him a marriage license. Davis would eventually go to jail for her stance, making her a hero to some and a scofflaw under the U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
Phillips remembered Kim Davis from news coverage in 2015. When she saw Ermold was running against her, she and thousands of others decided to donate to his campaign, helping him raise $160,000 in one week. Most is from small donors such as Phillips, but big names including Susan Sarandon and Amy Schumer also contributed.
“The story that I read, a lot of people were commenting and giving their support to him and hoping he could defeat her, and I just felt compelled to throw some money at him to help him out,” said Phillips, who described herself as an advocate for the LGBT community.
Before Ermold can run against Davis, he must first survive a four-person Democratic primary Tuesday. The money — more than three times the amount Republican Auditor Mike Harmon raised to win a statewide race in 2015 — has allowed him to run a professional campaign in a race usually defined by yard signs and fish fries. He has radio ads, a paid staff of 11, and a wood-floored office that has cost him more than $6,700 in rent since February. That’s more than his closest competitor has raised for the entire election.
But Ermold’s candidacy troubles some in Rowan County who worry it would revive the news media attention the area endured in 2015, when satellite trucks filled the courthouse parking lot and protesters shouted on the lawn. Recently, Ermold allowed a reporter to accompany him as he canvassed for votes but asked him to hang back as much as possible. One woman recoiled when the reporter tried to take her picture.
Ermold doesn’t mention Davis in his campaign materials or radio ads, aside from saying a vote for him would “reaffirm Rowan County as one of the most welcoming communities in Kentucky.”