Kim Davis has become a notable figure for Christian conservatives–and now, it looks like two presidential candidates are fighting over who gets to claim her, to score political points.
When Davis was released from jail earlier this week, both former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas were in attendance–and seemed to fight over who got to stand next to her, and who got to claim victory for her release.
Both Huckabee and Cruz are competing for similar factions of the Republican Party in their fight to become President–namely, the Christian conservative wing.
But in the fight over Davis, Huckabee clearly came out ahead–thanks to a crafty staffer, who physically blocked Cruz from intruding on any of the photos, which were splashed across the media this week.
According to The New York Times:
“When Senator Cruz exited the jail a throng of journalists beckoned him toward their microphones, but an aide to Mr. Huckabee blocked the path of Mr. Cruz, who appeared incredulous.
“Moments later, Mr. Huckabee appeared, joined by Ms. Davis. He stuck close to her side as she approached the reporters, and again when she took the stage, and cast her fight as a choice of tyranny or religious freedom.”
Davis, the county clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, had been jailed for just under a week after being found in contempt of court. Davis had refused to offer marriage licenses after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide in June. At the time she was jailed, she had already been previously told that she would have to start issuing licenses or suffer legal penalties.
She chose the latter, obviously–with the full backing of many conservatives. Including Mike Huckabee, who got plenty of photo ops with Davis, and Ted Cruz, who did not.
After her release, Davis returned to her job as the county clerk–after she agreed to let her deputies issue all marriage licenses in Rowan County. Despite the controversial nature of her stance, Davis is an elected official, meaning she can’t be fired, but must be voted out of office by the county residents.
