Andrew Wommack is a far-right anti-LGBTQ evangelist who routinely spreads misinformation and baseless conspiracy theories from his position as founder of Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, Colorado.
In 2016, Wommack teamed up with Christian nationalist pseudo-historian David Barton to launch a “Practical Government School” at Charis that teaches students how to “restore God’s purpose in government.” And in 2018, Wommack teamed up with Seven Mountains dominionist Lance Wallnau to launch a political organization called the Truth & Liberty Coalition.
In 2021, Wommack declared that using just the people associated with his Charis Bible College, he had enough votes to "take over" Woodland Park ... and then he proceeded to do just that, bragging that he was able to get nearly 80 percent of his candidates elected to office and to completely take over the local school board.
Earlier this year, NBC News looked at what has happened to Woodland Park in the wake of Wommack's takeover and the results were alarming:
As the school year winds down, many of the Woodland Park School District’s employees are heading for the exit, despite recently receiving an 8% raise. At least four of the district’s top administrators have quit because of the board’s policy changes, according to interviews and emails obtained through records requests. Nearly 40% of the high school’s professional staff have said they will not return next school year, according to an administrator in the district.
Emboldened by his local success, Wommack and his Truth & Liberty Coalition are looking to expand their reach statewide in the upcoming elections, reports Steve Rabey of Religion News Service:
In recent months, Wommack has been making the same argument to Christians across Colorado. He’s also provided candidates who fit the bill. When voters in 30 school districts go to the polls Tuesday (Nov. 7), they will find ballots primed with candidates recruited and trained by Transform Colorado, a movement, launched by Truth & Liberty, “that unites Christian leaders to restore biblical values in the public square,” according to its website.
The group is promoting its picks in local churches and through voter guides that include candidate answers to five questions about hot-button topics common to conservative Christian campaigns nationally: transgenderism, “boys in girls’ sports,” sex education, parental rights, and social studies and history curriculums.
The effort spans from Colorado Springs, the state’s second largest city, to remote rural districts such as Holyoke, on the border with Nebraska, and Burlington, both of which have seen spikes in the number of candidates this year.
Wommack is an ardent Christian nationalist who openly declares that right-wing Christians "are supposed to be ruling in this world" and he is clearly intent on making that belief a reality in Colorado.
Womack also has a broader reach through his association with national religious-right figures like Barton and Wallnau. The Truth and Liberty Coalition was a sponsor of the Family Research Council’s Pray Vote Stand activist conference this year, where it offered a breakout session on “changing the culture through the local church.” Womack’s ministries topped $100 million in annual revenue, his CEO told a local reporter in 2021.
