Gay Kentucky man loses bid to challenge Rowan County clerk Kim Davis

MOREHEAD, Ky. — A gay man in eastern Kentucky has lost his bid to challenge Republican county clerk Kim Davis, who went to jail three years ago for denying him and others marriage licenses in the aftermath of an historic U.S. Supreme Court decision.

David Ermold sought the Democratic nomination in Tuesday’s primary in Rowan County, Kentucky. He lost to Elwood Caudill in a four-way Democratic primary, despite a campaign that raised more than $200,000 with donations from at least 48 states.

Caudill will face Davis, the religious conservative who said in 2015 that “God’s authority” prevented her from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, in November. No one challenged Davis for the Republican nomination.

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Ermold’s loss means Davis’ actions will likely be less of an issue in the fall campaign. Most of the other Democratic candidates downplayed the incident, noting it had been resolved by the legislature and citing voter reluctance to relive the experience.

Ermold and his now-husband were one of several gay couples who tried to get licenses from Davis after the court ruling. A video of the encounter was viewed more than 1.8 million times on YouTube.

Lawsuits followed; a judge ordered Davis to issue licenses. She refused and spent a week in jail. Upon her release, two Republican presidential candidates, hundreds of supporters and a church choir greeted her.

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In 2016, Kentucky’s Republican-controlled legislature removed county clerks’ names from marriage licenses. Things had remained calm in Rowan County since then, until Davis announced in November she’d seek re-election. Ermold soon announced his candidacy. Many in this college town, which includes Morehead State University, were wary of reviving the attention that would come with an Ermold-Davis matchup.

Davis, a Christian who attends an Apostolic church, has worked in the clerk’s office since 1988. She was hired by her mother, who was clerk for 37 years. Davis ran as a Democrat in 2014, when she won by 23 votes. She changed her registration in 2015, saying the Democratic party abandoned her.

Some Republicans signaled Tuesday they wouldn’t vote for Davis in the fall. Jacqueline Smith, 72, said many in the community didn’t like the attention Davis garnered in 2015.

“I don’t think sexual orientation should have anything to do with it,” she said. “This is America.”