Her opponent, Democrat Raphael Warnock, is an ordained pastor.
Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) attacked her Democratic opponent for his religious beliefs on Monday. But just a few months ago, she argued that Americans' faith should be treated as sacrosanct.
Loeffler, a former financial services executive who supports a ban on virtually all abortions, is upset that the Rev. Raphael Warnock — senior pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the former pulpit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — is both a person of faith and a supporter of abortion rights.
"[Warnock's] repeated use of the Bible & his pulpit to justify abortion-on-demand is sickening & wrong," she tweeted. "I will ALWAYS defend the most vulnerable among us & I’m proud to stand with those who are calling out my opponent's extremism."
It is actually Loeffler's opposition to abortion rights that is extreme, as the overwhelming majority of Americans support access to safe, legal abortion. A 2019 poll found that 77% of Americans want Roe v. Wade — the landmark Supreme Court case that made access to abortion the law of the land — to remain in place. Only 9% want abortion banned in all cases.
Loeffler and her allies have repeatedly attacked Warnock for his faith. Last month, they accused him of being anti-military after he paraphrased a Bible verse about the importance of putting a moral life about other priorities.
Loeffler herself quoted the Bible on Sunday, tweeting, "Isiah [sic] 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Loeffler and her friends were outraged earlier this year by the mere possibility that Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick — now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett — could be scrutinized for her own religious beliefs, demanding that any questions be deemed off-limits.
"The anti-woman and anti-faith attacks coming from the left are disgusting," she tweeted in September, addressing what she interpreted as pushback to Barrett's Catholic faith during her confirmation process. "As a fellow pro-life Catholic and conservative woman, I am proud to support Judge Barrett and will stand with her no matter what outrageous smears the left throws at her."
And in July, Loeffler wrote in an op-ed that "Americans have a right to express their personal, political and religious beliefs without retribution. Today, the cancel culture is targeting me because I spoke out. But who’s next?"
A Loeffler campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry for this story.
But she has not always objected to Warnock and his church's teachings. Earlier this year — weeks after being appointed to a vacant Senate seat by Georgia's governor — she was a guest at his church for a Martin Luther King Day service.
During that January appearance, she shared the pulpit with Warnock, called the Ebenezer Baptist a "sacred place" that "puts words into action," and praised her future opponent and his congregation as "men and women who advance the cause of freedom."
Warnock received a plurality of the vote in last month's special election, but because no candidate received a majority, he will face Loeffler again in a Jan. 5 runoff. The race is expected to be close in a state won by President-elect Joe Biden by about 12,000 votes.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
