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New Mexico megachurch endorses Republican candidates, testing federal ban

Global Published 29 October 2026, 15:00 · archived 29 Oct 2026

Legacy Church’s endorsements violate law banning tax-exempt nonprofits from endorsing political candidatesA megachurch in New Mexico has endorsed two Republican candidates running in this year’s midterms, including a Donald Trump-backed candidate running in one of the blue state’s few competitive races. The church’s endorsements, which violate federal law banning tax-exempt nonprofits from endorsing political candidates, come as the Trump administration is challenging that ban in federal court.In mid-August, pastor Steve Smothermon of Legacy Church, a nondenominational church with nine locatio...

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