Freedom from Religion Foundation calls for Bismarck lawmaker to apologize or resign

The Freedom from Religion Foundation's lobbying arm decried the legislator's posts on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday in a statement that characterized Prichard's statements as "Christian nationalist." Prichard also posted comments that took aim at the LGBTQ+ community and reproductive rights.

"Declaring Christ and His teachings as central to the history and future of our government is crucial," Prichard wrote in a post Tuesday. "Thus, it needs to be in every state’s code and constitution!"

Freedom from Religion Foundation Action Fund President Annie Laurie Gaylor said in an open letter to Prichard that "As a state representative, your duty is to support the state and federal constitutions and to protect the rights of conscience of your constituents, not to promote your personal religious views, much less a Christian theocracy. Your oath of office has charged you with great responsibility over citizens, including those citizens who may not or do not share your personal religious viewpoints. You have shown that you are unfit for this responsibility."

Prichard did not immediately respond to a Tribune request for comment. But he referenced the Tribune story in a post on X and wrote, "I will not listen to a godless out-of-state interest group like FFRF."

The state Democratic-NPL Party on Monday issued a statement also denouncing Prichard's posts, with Party Chair Adam Goldwyn calling them "uninformed, unpatriotic and un-American."

Prichard, 22, was elected in 2022. In the 2023 legislative session he supported restrictions on gender-affirming care, drag shows and abortion access, saying his goal was to protect youth and women and defend morals.