Two longtime members of Legacy Church are running for office in New Mexico, and Albuquerque campus Senior Pastor Steve Smothermon has endorsed them both.
In mid-August, Smothermon told his congregation from the pulpit, "Greg Cunningham has faithfully served our church for 14 years and shares our biblical values. Let's pray for him, support his campaign, get registered, and vote to flip this seat for someone who will stand for God, our Constitution, and a better New Mexico!"
In a social media post two months later, he endorsed Gregg Hull, the Republican candidate for governor whom the pastor believes "should be the next governor of New Mexico."
Cunningham appears to have a fair chance of unseating incumbent Congressman Gabriel Vasquez, one of 13 Democrats across the country who won their House races in districts that voted for Donald Trump in 2024. Hull is considered an underdog in the blue state.
"I just thought, man, they're our own church people, so I'm going to make a bigger deal out of it," Smothermon tells AFN.
This was not the first time he endorsed a candidate or political issues in his 25 years at Legacy, and it will not be the last.
"I just feel like I have a right as an American citizen to endorse whoever I want," he says. "I've been doing it … probably the whole time I've been here."
He has heard complaints that what he is doing is unconstitutional and threats that Legacy could lose its tax-exempt status, but Smothermon says, "They've been saying that for the last 25 years."
According to First Liberty Institute, pastors are free to endorse candidates, run for office or participate in campaigns in their individual capacities as private citizens, provided they do not use church resources or speak officially on behalf of the tax-exempt church entity.
Under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, pastors and religious leaders possess the protected rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion, which include preaching on social, moral and political issues, distributing nonpartisan voter guides and advocating for specific legislation.
Pastors can also legally endorse political candidates from the pulpit during religious services without risking their churches' tax-exempt status.
Many Christian leaders and organizations argue that Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:13-16 calls Christians to engage culture, influence laws for good and restrain evil. They also point to Old Testament figures such as Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon and Nehemiah, who served in secular or pagan governments to promote justice and preserve lives.
Teachings from Jeremiah 29:7 instruct believers to seek the peace and prosperity of the cities where they live, which many interpret as participating in civic life and government processes. Passages such as Romans 13:1-4 and 1 Peter 2:13-14 describe governing authorities as instituted by God to punish wrongdoers and do good, meaning Christians have a responsibility to vote and support righteous civic structures.
Others, however, caution that political activism can compromise the gospel and distract from Christ's spiritual kingdom.
"I don't really care what they say," Smothermon states. "We're going to do what we believe is right biblically."
He says the bottom line is that almost every issue that hits the ballot box is a biblical issue. The economy, support for Israel, taxation and democracy itself are all addressed in the Word of God and, therefore, from Legacy's pulpit.
"Politics has just invaded the Church, and no matter what issue you deal with today, it's considered political," he submits. "I just choose to believe what the Bible says, that we should fight for righteousness' sake."
Breaking the trend
While more than 90% of Protestant pastors in the U.S. choose not to endorse political candidates from the pulpit, a few notable faith leaders have stepped forward to explicitly support or oppose candidates in Tuesday's elections.
Pastor Joseph Hall of Crossroads Church in Iowa, for example, has actively dedicated portions of his Sunday sermons to the midterms, explicitly advising his congregation to "vote red" because the Republican platform aligns more closely with the lifestyles and beliefs of people of faith than the Democratic platform.
Meanwhile, this year's midterms feature pastors and ministers themselves running for office on the Democratic ticket to counter conservative what they call conservative rhetoric. They include Adam Hamilton, a Methodist megachurch pastor in Kansas; the Rev. Frederick Haynes III, a progressive National Baptist pastor in Texas; and Presbyterian seminarian James Talarico.
Smothermon continues to encourage believers to "go vote" and to do so for the candidates who are "more closely aligned with the Scriptures."
