County commissioner calls opponent a Christian nationalist on TikTok. Untrue, he says

Sedgwick County Commissioner Lacey Cruse called her Republican opponent Ryan Baty a Christian nationalist and a homophobe in a TikTok video she uploaded just days before the election.

Baty called the disparaging remarks untrue and “hurtful.” He characterized Cruse’s comments as the type of mudslinging people are sick of in politics.

“It’s just characteristic of our broader political climate,” Baty said. “This is where we are right now. It’s unfortunate. The lack of civility we have on a local level has stagnated progress, and this is what people are tired of, frankly. They’re tired of it.”

Cruse posted the five-minute video on Wednesday.

“I’m asking for your vote because I’m not part of the status quo. I’m not the establishment here,” Cruse said in the social media video. “And we don’t need another go-along-to-get-along, Christian-nationalist, pro-life, homophobic person to be seated in this seat so that people can feel comfortable.”

Cruse did not respond to a request to clarify her accusations Friday. On Sunday, she sent an Eagle reporter a 45-minute video of Baty preaching at Wichita’s Family Church in October 2016, saying she thinks Baty would govern as a county commissioner based on his religious convictions.

Baty does not address LGBTQIA+ rights in the sermon. He did, however, refer to abortion as “genocide.”

“You hear that argument frequently about ‘A woman has a right to choose what happens with her own body,’ and that being the justification for abortion. It’s crazy to me,” Baty said. “Who gets the power to decide who does and doesn’t terminate life? That sounds like some Nazi Germany stuff to me.”

Cruse said Baty’s statements should give voters pause.

“When it comes to laws specifically around pro-life and abortion rights, he is saying to use scripture and that is crafting policy off of religious beliefs. AKA Christian nationalist views,” Cruse said in a text. “If he is going to do it for this instance in this case, why would he not do it for other instances as well?”

“Lacey is drawing an incorrect conclusion,” Baty said in response. “I never said that scripture is to be used to craft policy and laws. The message was directed to Christians, six years ago, about how the scriptures should influence their perspectives on pertinent issues and the candidates they support. That is a mainstream position for everyone that claims Christian faith and certainly doesn’t suggest what she is claiming.”

Baty said he does oppose abortion but that the statements from his sermon need context.

“It was on the backside of the quote I used in the sermon from the lady that said she knows ‘that the baby inside of her is a living person, but she still doesn’t care,’” Baty said. “As I alluded to in that message, and I say today, that the arguments both sides use in the issue of abortion and reproductive rights are lacking and we can all do better to value and serve both mothers and babies.”

Baty said the TikTok video seemed like Cruse was “trying to just kind of throw as many adjectives out as she could, basically. I don’t know if it was out of anger or what.”

“I am not a Christian nationalist,” Baty said. “I’m a Christian, and my faith is what has shaped me to care about issues of people in poverty and valuing human beings. So my faith has influenced me in those regards to where I want to serve people and value people.”

The Mattress Hub founder said he has a firm grasp on the separation of church and state and that he’s not a homophobic person.

“I think that anyone that has ever been around me — my family, my friends, the people that work for me, that are from the LGBTQ community — would reinforce how I value people, how I treat people and the respect I have for people. So, yeah, that’s hurtful.”

It’s not the first time Cruse has used social media to criticize colleagues or opponents. In a September Facebook post, she accused fellow commissioners and county staff of colluding to offer a sweetheart deal to the county’s on-call real estate agent.

Cruse has stood by those corruption claims despite County Manger Tom Stolz characterizing them as baseless and accusing Cruse of trying to negotiate her own sweetheart deal with another developer.

“What we have seen in the seat of District 4 is anything but leadership,” Baty said at a September candidate forum. “The relational capital has been bankrupt. When you go to social media and you tear down your colleagues, when you tear down staff, when it’s on the front page of The Wichita Eagle almost weekly, that’s not leadership.”

Cruse defended herself during the debate, saying she’s treated unfairly by her colleagues, who she said have created a hostile work environment.

“I am a woman on this commission. I am treated differently than these men,” Cruse said. “I’m just going to point it out. And we can shake our heads and we can act like it’s not there, but we live in a misogynistic culture.”

The Sedgwick County Democratic Party did not respond to a request for comment Friday on Cruse’s video.

In the TikTok video, Cruse touted her authenticity as a selling point for voters.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,” she said. “I’m asking for your vote because I’m not going to sugarcoat things and I’m going to tell it like it is and I’m going to include you. That’s who I am. That’s who I’m always going to be. And I’m not changing who I am. Never.”

The District 4 contest between Cruse and Baty is one of three Sedgwick County Commission races on Tuesday’s ballot.

This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 2:20 PM.