What if I told you that a member of the Jacksonville City Council believes that homosexuality is demonic, believes that Jews "own everything," and thinks that Halloween candy is infected by demons? You'd wonder--rightly--how in the world anyone who believes such utter lunacy could have any business being in elected office. Now, what if I told you that the person who believes such idiocy claims to be a Democrat?
Kimberly Daniels has been an at-large member of the Jacksonville City Council since 2011, representing At-Large Group 1 in western and northeastern Jacksonville (district map). Since the early 1990s, the five at-large members of the city council have been elected from one of five special districts, though they are elected by the voters of Jacksonville and Duval County as a whole. Although Daniels claims to be a Democrat, she is part of a movement that could not possibly be more antithetical to what we as Democrats stand for. Specifically, the New Apostolic Reformation, a kooky offshoot of the religious right that believes it can bring about the Second Coming by taking over the world.
Daniels is founding pastor and "apostle" of Spoken Word Ministries in Jacksonville. According to extensive research by Bruce Wilson of Talk2Action (aka Kossack Troutfishing), who wrote a good piece about her just before her election in May 2011, Daniels is a member of the International Coalition of Apostles, one of the main leadership groups of the NAR movement. Among the other members are the likes of Harry Jackson and Cindy Jacobs.
But even without that to consider, there's enough out there about Daniels that amply demonstrates she has no business being in office. Back in 2009, she wrote a piece for Charisma magazine in which she claimed Christians have no business celebrating Halloween in part because it's infected with demons. And in 2002, Charisma did a story on her in which she claimed to have turned numerous gays straight by casting demons out of them.
Also, Bruce has compiled a pretty extensive list of her loonier quotes here Among one of the more stomach-turning ones came from a sermon she gave at Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, pastored by frequent TBN guest Darlene Bishop. Daniels not only thanked God for the scourge of slavery, but said that "the Jews own everything!" Two pieces of wingnuttery for the price of one.
Daniels is up for reelection in 2015. But we need to put the spotlight on her now so we can find someone to challenge her then.