Once-Jailed Christian Clerk Faces Tough Job Challenge From Old Adversary

Two years removed from the controversy that saw her jailed, Kim Davis is fighting for her job—again. Only this time, there’s no threat of legal action behind it.

The Morehead, Kentucky woman who refused to issue licenses to couples for same-sex marriages due to her Christian beliefs is facing a challenge for her job as Clerk of Rowan County through the election process, and from one of the men whom she wouldn’t service.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that David Ermold filed to run for county clerk in Rowan County. He is one of four candidates running against Davis, including Elwood Caudill Jr., who lost to Davis by only 23 votes in the 2014 Democratic primary.

Davis was jailed for five days in 2015 for disobeying a federal judge’s order to issue the marriage license to Ermold and his partner.

Ermold eventually did marry. The Associated Press reported that Ermold and his partner sat across a desk from Davis Wednesday as they filed paperwork to run for office.

The AP reported that Davis “smiled and welcomed them.” At the end of the process, Davis shook Ermold’s hand and told him, “May the best candidate win.”

When reporters asked if she thought she deserved to be re-elected, David said, “That will be up to the people. I think I do a good job. It’ll be a good one [the election], I’m sure.”

Davis has been in the Rowan County Clerk’s office for nearly three decades.

One problem facing Davis is her political affiliation. Once a Democrat, she switched her registration to Republican when she felt her party betrayed her two years ago. Davis told the Associated Press that she doesn’t object to issuing marriage licenses now that the state legislature changed the law so her name is not on the license. In 2014, the state’s then-Democratic governor refused to issue an executive order to remove the names of clerks from marriage licenses. {eoa}