Infamous Virginia Pastor Announces Bid For Presidency

The conservative pastor is a long shot in terms of getting the Republican nomination — but that won’t stop him from trying.

Ultra-conservative evangelical minister and former lieutenant governor nominee E.W. Jackson of Chesapeake has joined the race for the 2024 Republican presidential bid.

Jackson is running on a platform of re-instilling Judeo-Christian values in the nation, according to his website. Among his top issues are preserving “traditional marriage” and resisting not only gay marriage, but unmarried men and women living together; ensuring a Constitutional amendment banning abortion; a zero-tolerance policy toward illegal immigration; and a seven-pillar foreign policy that prioritizes securing American borders and “[maintaining] the superiority of American military might.”

His platform is rife with what he describes as “colorblind” values — Jackson wants to see an end to what he calls the “Hyphenated American,” defining groups like African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and the like. 

Jackson told NewsNation his love for the United States and his desire to see things change compelled him to join the race.

“We’ve got to come back to the God that gave us this country,” Jackson said. “Our rights and liberties don’t come from man, they come from our creator. That’s the foundation of this nation, and that’s the foundation we have to build on if we’re gonna have a secure future.”

You may remember Jackson’s candidacy for lieutenant governor of Virginia in 2013 with his “Engage and Reform Agenda.” He won the Republican Party’s nomination that year, surprising many political observers, as he had raised the least money of the seven candidates for the Republican nomination.

After winning the GOP’s nomination, Jackson’s derogatory comments about the LGBTQ community, non-christians, and Democrats drew criticism, alongside other bizarre statements, such as that yoga opens you up to satanic possession.

Jackson ultimately lost his race to Democrat Ralph Northam, who would go onto become the commonwealth’s governor, from 2018 to 2022.

In the years since his 2013 campaign, Jackson has made Islamophobic and homophobic comments.