Matthew Dowd claimed Wednesday that if Jesus Christ were still living, people might call him a “groomer.”
Dowd, who served as a top advisor for former President George W. Bush and his Vice President Dick Cheney during the 2004 presidential campaign, made the comments during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Deadline White House.”
BREAKING: Chief Bush-Cheney advisor: "If Jesus Christ was alive today, he would be called a groomer" pic.twitter.com/6he4MCIKhM
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 20, 2022
“The Easter holidays, the entire message of the Gospels of the Easter holidays was ‘Love one another,’” Dowd began. “And I have said this before, and I’ll say it again: If Jesus Christ was alive today, he would be called a groomer. He would be called woke. And he would be called a socialist, if he was alive today.”
“If he was speaking the message he spoke in the Gospels today about treating everybody with dignity — Jesus Christ hung around with prostitutes and tax collectors,” Dowd continued. “He was nailed to a cross because he spoke on behalf of the most marginalized people in the Middle East.”
“And the idea that a certain segment of the population has tried to capture the faith and corrupt a message that I [may have been] a follower of since I was baptized and was confirmed and served on the altar in the course of this, is something I think all of us — it’s not just people of faith, but whether Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, or don’t have a faith, the message of ‘love conquers hate’ is a message we should be pushing, but especially Christians in the country that can’t stand what happened to our faith,” Dowd concluded.
Dowd announced a bid for the 2022 Lieutenant Governor’s race in Texas, but withdrew from contention in the Democratic primary six days before the final filing deadline. He explained in a statement that he was making an exit in order to clear the way for a “more diverse” candidate to take on the race.
“When I first announced, the only other candidate was a white male Christian,” Dowd said. “A diverse field is now emerging in the Democratic primary for this office. I do not want to be the one who stands in the way of the greater diversity we need in politics.”
State Rep. Michelle Beckley (D), who announced her own bid for LG, voiced her thanks to Dowd: “Women have been underrepresented in politics for too long. The Democratic Party is a diverse party and a party that supports the goals and aspirations of women, and in stepping back, Dowd is showing his respect for voters.”
Mike Collier, the other white Christian man in the Lieutenant Governor’s race, did not withdraw from the race, but said he supported Dowd’s decision. “I’m thankful for all that Matthew Dowd has done to demonstrate to the nation the importance of defeating Dan Patrick. With so much on the line, Matthew and I join millions of Texans in committing to do all we can to defeat Dan Patrick in 2022,” he said.