The Hattiesburg minister also recently noted that he supports abortion and backs codifying Roe into law.
David Sellers, one of two Democrats vying in the June 7th Primary to move to the November General Election, recently announced two notable endorsements for his campaign in South Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District.
Sellers’ campaign sent a release on Monday noting that the Mississippi State University College Democrats, the state’s largest chapter, has endorsed his campaign, citing his bold vision for South Mississippi.
“Rev. David Sellers embodies what it means to be a leader as he is an involved member of the community committed to equality and progress,” Justin Childs, the chapter’s president, said. “Through his experiences, Sellers understands the problems that face everyday Mississippians and envisions plans to bring forth solutions from education policies, raising the minimum wage, social justice, and more.”
College Democrats at Mississippi State University, which includes more than 50 members who live in the 4th Congressional District, is the fourth major group to endorse Sellers’s campaign. They join three labor unions in backing Sellers – the AFL-CIO, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and United Rural Democrats of America.
“We feel that David is in line with all our values for working people in the state of Mississippi and we are proud to put our support behind him,” said Brian McMurry with IBEW.
Sellers is a pastor at Hattiesburg’s Parkway Heights United Methodist Church and a spiritual director at Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services. He is running against former Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree.
“This is the coalition that it’s going to take to unseat Steven Palazzo and give South Mississippi a leader who listens,” said Sellers in a release. “With rural voters, the labor movement, and college students all on our side, I know that we can do this.”
In addition to announcing these endorsements, Sellers recently outlined his position on abortion following the leak of the draft opinion in Mississippi’s Dobbs case being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court. Sellers wrote on Facebook just last week:
Whether you agree with a candidate or not, you deserve to know where they stand. Since I launched this campaign last fall, I’ve been asked about abortion at nearly every event. My answer has always been the same, whether I’m speaking to Democrats, Republicans, or independents.
Every woman deserves reproductive rights. As a pastor, I know that there is no theological or scientific consensus on when life begins. I’ve seen women wrestle with this issue firsthand and I don’t believe this is something we can or should legislate.
We’re looking at a world where if a woman suffers a miscarriage, she may face accusations of and criminal charges for abortion. I’ve read Mississippi’s trigger law that will go into effect if Roe v. Wade is overturned. There are insufficient protections and exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and the safety of the mother. A majority of Mississippians already made it clear in 2011 that they don’t support these restrictions.
And unfortunately, we’re seeing signs that this is just the beginning. Since the Supreme Court draft was leaked last week, we’ve heard lawmakers at all levels of government call for bans on IUDs, IVF, Plan B, birth control, and condoms.
That’s why I support codifying Roe into law to protect a woman’s right to choose. That’s been my position from the beginning.
Sellers’ position aligns with his opponent in the Democratic Primary. DuPree also took to Facebook following the Supreme Court leak, writing, “A woman’s right to choose belongs to her!”
Frank Corder
