Rep. Madison Cawthorn arrives for a House Republican conference meeting in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center in Washington, D.C., May 12, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

(JTA) — Madison Cawthorn wants his constituents to push government leaders to “uphold Christian principles.” For an example, Cawthorn says, look no further than the Hebrew bible.

“Look at David, look at Daniel, look at Esther — look at all the people who influenced the government of their day to uphold Christian principles,” the House representative from North Carolina said in a new campaign ad released Sunday night that declared that a “spiritual battle” is happening on Capitol Hill. It is “time for the American Christian church to come out of the shadows,” Cawthorn says in the clip.

Where are you, men and women of faith?

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

If we lose this country, our children will never know freedom.

Stand united as men and women of faith to fight for America! pic.twitter.com/FQNKo8vfRs

— Madison Cawthorn (@CawthornforNC) October 3, 2021

The ad is part of the 26-year-old’s reelection campaign. Cawthorn, a Republican, is already facing challenges by several Republicans and Democrats ahead of next year’s midterms.

This is not the first time Cawthorn has appropriated a piece of Jewish history in service of his campaign. In January, Cawthorn tweeted an adaption of a well-known poem about the Holocaust to promote his campaign merchandise. He later apologized for the tweet in a meeting with North Carolina Jewish leaders.

Cawthorn has also been criticized for posting pictures from a trip to the Eagles Nest, a Nazi retreat favored by Hitler. He later removed the photos from Instagram.

— The post Madison Cawthorn cites Hebrew bible figures in ad pushing the government ‘to uphold Christian principles’ appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount