Witch hunts are back in vogue with Kansas Republicans—literally.

Ty Masterson, the Republican candidate in the Kansas gubernatorial race, accused his Democratic opponent, Cindy Holscher, of being an actual witch capable of “demonic” magic, while speaking at the Praise Chapel in Wichita on Sunday.

Masterson introduced the dubious portion of his pseudo-sermon by suggesting that God wanted him to run for Kansas’s top political office. 

“God’s armies are out there in this,” Masterson said. “What we’re fighting right now is a spiritual battle that I’ve never seen before, in [this] state, in this politics.

“Evil is maturing with the brotherhood, and it is rising to a level that is just in your face,” Masterson continued as a pianist played a contemplative melody beside him. “Really, my race and the U.S. Senate race with Roger Marshall versus [Adam] Hamilton. Those are spiritual battles.

“Like I said, my opponent, she didn’t even hide it,” Masterson added. “She talked—they had witch—I mean, they’re doing like witchcraft spells on TikTok so she can win the governorship. I mean, they’re like … it’s like demonic stuff that they’re doing, right? Just in your face that way.”

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[–] 3 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

That was also probably the goal. By talking about it constantly and making it sound more intense and interesting to everyone, it both scares their people more and intrigues other people. They bring the obedient and impressionable in and compel them to not partake, and they push the rebellious and skeptical into doing the thing they are already demonizing. You freely enjoyed a form of media because they demonized it and thus the hordes of heathens grew, strengthening their influence and control over the in-group.

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