SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane City Council formally denounced Mayor Nadine Woodward for her appearance at a Christian Nationalist event in August.
The decision came after lengthy public comment and discussion amongst council members during Monday night's legislative meeting. The order passed by a vote of 4-3.
The controversy stemmed from video of Woodward appearing at Let Us Worship, a prayer rally with Christian nationalism connotations, on Aug. 20, 2023. Woodward joined Matt Shea on stage for prayer. Shea is a former Washington state representative who was expelled from the State Republican Caucus after an independent investigation found he committed acts of domestic terrorism. Shea founded On Fire Ministries, a religious group criticized for extremism.
The event was led by Sean Feucht, a Christian nationalist preacher denounced by several Pacific NW faith leaders for hateful rhetoric against members of the LGBTQ+ communities.
Just days after the video surfaced, Mayor Woodward's campaign issued the following statement to KREM 2:
“I did not seek, nor do I accept any support from Matt Shea. I am opposed to his political views as they are a threat to our democracy, and I regret my public appearance with him. I was invited to share in prayer with several thousand citizens out of heartfelt concern for fire victims, first responders and our whole community. I was not aware that he would be at the event last night and it only became apparent as I was walking on stage that he would be leading the prayer. I should have made better efforts to learn who would be speaking at the event.
There will be plenty of time to discuss political positions during the rest of this campaign. Now, as our region is hurting and our focus is on friends, neighbors, loved ones and the response effort, is not the time. All day yesterday not one fire victim or first responder asked me about my political views. But they did ask us to pray for them.”
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