FORT PAYNE, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Secretary of State and Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Merrill says the country is losing its moral core because of its preoccupation with "homosexual activities" and wife swap TV shows.
Merrill is running for the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Doug Jones. Al.com reports Merrill first made the comments over the weekend at a town hall in Fort Payne. The comments were initially reported by Yellowhammer News and confirmed to Al.com by Merrill on Monday.
Merril told Al.com the U.S. is obsessed with shows without biblical foundations or that promote a nuclear family made up of a father, mother and children. He said there aren't any more shows like "Gunsmoke" or "The Virginian." He declined to provide examples of the country's obsession with "homosexual activities."
