Out of all the gubernatorial candidates who don’t have millions of dollars to waste on the election, the only one with a slugger’s chance to make a real difference is Jake Merrick.
He’s a former state senator, pastor, podcaster and unapologetic hard-right conservative. And although he hasn’t exactly been lighting up the polls, he does seem to have a strong and loyal following. Well, at least judging by the number of people who @reply, tag and generally summon him anytime we mention the governor’s race on social media.
He’s also apparently doing well enough to get Roger Stone’s attention:
Turns out this guy Jake Merrick would steal a hot stove- it's all documented here..... https://t.co/6hyX1CDImi
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) May 31, 2026
If a thief like Roger Stone doesn't like you, you're probably doing something right.
Anyway, a few weeks back, someone from Merrick’s campaign reached out to see if we’d be interested in conducting a Q&A / interview with him. It’s not every day that politicians voluntarily reach out to us, so we eagerly said “yes.”