Monty Fritts Fringe Christian Nationalist Views are Getting More Exposure

by Rod Williams, July 230, 2026 - Christian Nationalist Monty Fritts' view of the Constitution and his other extremist views are getting more and more scrutiny.  He has been saying the same thing since he started his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor, but now more news outlets are reporting on his views. His views are far outside the mainstream.

I have already voted in the Republican primary and voted for John Rose, not that I am that thrilled with his kiss-ass attitude toward Trump and the tone of his ads, but the choice is between Marsha Blackburn and John Rose and I simply think John Rose would make a better governor.

 I did not even consider voting for Monty Fritts. There is no circumstance that I can imagine in which he would get my vote.  He is much to the right of other candidates on gun rights, opposes school choice, and advocates a ban on the practice of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, or "other pagan religions" in the state of Tennessee. He has also said he would criminalize sexual acts between consenting adults of the same sex. He opposes allowing rape victims access to the morning-after pill. He advocates the death penalty for women who get an abortion, and he has called for the execution of the parents of trans children who allow their child to undergo hormone therapy.  Now, that is extreme.

Saying Islam is not a religion and it can be banned is just nuts. Since he also wants to ban Buddhism, Hinduism, and "other pagan religions," I assume he thinks they are not religions either. I don't know how he feels about Mormons and the Church of Scientology and the Unity Church. I think those and some other religious groups are kind of weird, but they are religions. They are protected by the First Amendment. 

In addition to claiming some religions are not really religions, he argues that the First Amendment does not even apply to state governments, claiming that its language — “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” — limits only Congress’s power, not state governments.’ 

At one point in our history, Fritts would have had a point, but the 14th Amendment changed all of that. The 14th Amendment has this clause, "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." This is clear: the rights of a citizen of the United States cannot be abrogated by a State. One has all of the rights of a citizen of the United States no matter in which state one lives.  Is Fritts that dumb that he doesn't know that? I assume his supporters are, and that is scary. As with so many on the right who wrap themselves in the Constitution, he seems ignorant of it. 

Thankfully, Monty Fritts is only polling about 9% in the most recent polls, however, he has a loud and active following who agree with him and post a lot in my Facebook feed. 

I agree with what my friend W. H. Berstein said about Monty Fritts: 

All religions are protected in this country, regardless of whether someone ignorantly thinks they're "pagan" or not. Monty Fritts is an enemy of the Constitution and anti-American. His candidacy needs to be stomped into the pavement and swept away to the trash heap of history.

Below is an interview with Monty Fritts where he expresses his unorthodox views. The first ten minutes are softball questions, and Fritts' views are well within the mainstream. At timestamp 10:28 he gets into the more controversial stuff. Unfortunately, the interviewer does not get into Fritts ' views regarding the death penalty for women who have abortions and some of his other extremist views.  

Top Stories