David Ermold (left) and Kim Davis (Photos: David Ermold/Carter County Detention Center)
A gay man has lost his bid to fight Kim Davis for the position of county clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky.
David Ermold’s failure to secure the Democratic bid for the position comes almost three years after Davis refused to issue him and his fiance with a marriage licences.
The refusal, which came after the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, turned Davis into one of the more prominent faces of the anti-gay marriage movement in the US. It also ultimately led to a brief spell in jail.
Turned down by Kim Davis in 2015
Back in July 2015, Ermold and his partner, David Moore, attended Rowan County courthouse to apply for a marriage licence. They were flatly turned down by county clerk Kim Davis. The encounter was caught on video and was reported worldwide. Davis said that her Christian faith forbade her from granting the licence.
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She ended up serving a five-day spell in jail. She was released when a judge ruled her deputies were allowed to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples regardless of Davis’ approval.
Davis resumed her duties as county clerk. Later this year, she is standing for re-election.
Elwood Caudill Jr wins Democratic bid
Ermold announced last December that he intended to stand against her. Although he didn’t reference her by name in his campaign material, he said he wanted to, ‘restore professional leadership, fairness and responsibility to the office.’
Despite raising approximately $200,000 in campaign funds from well-wishers and supporters, both inside and outside of Kentucky, he lost the Democratic primary yesterday.
He was defeated by Elwood Caudill Jr., who has worked for the Property Valuation Administrator’s office for the past two decades (in the same building as Davis). Caudill has said he didn’t want to focus on the same-sex marriage issue as part of his campaign.
‘What happened in 2015 is in the past and just as my logo says, we’re just focused on the future.’
Caudill Jr will go up against Davis in the 6 November county clerk election. The two also ran against each other in 2014.
In a Twitter thread after the result was announced, Ermold thanked those who had supported him.
Today, I stand amazed by the outpouring of support for our campaign by both those in Rowan County and by those across the country. Our primary was a truly competitive race, and I am so proud of our accomplishments.
— David Ermold (@DErmold) May 23, 2018
‘We knew from the beginning that we had a difficult task, and while our campaign is coming to a close, our work to reaffirm Rowan County as a diverse and welcoming community has only just begun,’ he said.
‘While it is easy to share and grow in our commonalities, we must also work to bridge our differences to find understanding. As a community, we may not always agree on every issue, but our community should be one based on fairness and respect.
‘Our clerk’s office touches the lives of every person in the community, and we must have leadership dedicated to our needs. Our leadership must be willing to serve ALL our people, and it must value the unique needs of every citizen.’
