Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley on Monday pushed pastors to run for public office, called on churches to encourage their congregations to register to vote and promoted the dissolution of the separation of church and state.

"We need more men and women of faith in the public square,” Whatley said during a speech at a pastor summit in Raleigh. “We don't need separation of faith and politics. We don't need separation of church and state."

Whatley is seen as the front-runner for his party’s nomination in the race to replace North Carolina’s senior U.S. senator, Republican Thom Tillis, who isn’t running for reelection. He was among the speakers at the summit, hosted by the American Renewal Project, which aims to “inspire the American church to embrace its role in the public sq

See Full Page