Tennessee Governor Candidate Monty Fritts Defends His Call to Ban Mosques

In a NewsChannel 5 interview, Tennessee State Rep. Monty Fritts defends his call to ban mosques and grounds the position in his Christian faith and his reading of the state constitution. Fritts is a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from Roane County and a candidate in the 2026 GOP primary for governor. In the clip, an interviewer presses him on earlier remarks about what the interviewer describes as Fritts saying Tennessee has a "Muslim problem" and wanting to ban mosques. Fritts responds by arguing that his Christian beliefs leave him no other conclusion and that Islam is a political movement rather than a religion protected like Christianity.

What Fritts Says in the Clip

The interviewer opens by putting the question directly to Fritts: "You want to ban mosques. You have said we have a Muslim problem in Tennessee and you want to ban mosques. You just mentioned the Constitution, so how is banning mosques constitutional?"

Fritts answers as a matter of faith. "As a Christian, I think that there is no answer other than that," he says. He cites scripture, referencing the passage that "Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and no man cometh to the Father except by him," and the instruction to "confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead." From that premise he asks, "As a Christian, how can I have any other perspective?"

The Argument That Islam Is Political, Not Religious

Fritts draws a distinction between Islam and Christian denominations. "Islam is not simply a religious movement," he says. "It is a political movement that forces its strategy upon everyone. It is counter to the Constitution." This framing is central to his position in the clip. He treats Islam as a political system rather than a faith, which is the basis he gives for singling it out.

Reporting from NewsChannel 5 and other outlets covering Fritts notes that he has made a similar argument elsewhere, contending that Muslims are not protected under the First Amendment because, in his view, Islam is a political worldview rather than a religion. Courts have repeatedly rejected that argument.

The Slippery-Slope Challenge

The interviewer raises a hypothetical to test the logic. "Let's say a Methodist becomes governor and thinks Baptists are not fully Christian. It's a slippery slope." Fritts rejects the comparison. He points to "article one, section three of our Tennessee constitution," saying it refers to "Almighty God," and argues that "both the Methodists and the Baptists have that same worldview that Christ died for us." Neither denomination, he says, is "really a political movement as Islamism," which he calls "the great separator."

Article I, Section 3 of the Tennessee Constitution addresses freedom of worship. It states that no human authority can control or interfere with the rights of conscience and that no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious establishment or mode of worship.

How Fritts Frames His Own Intent

Fritts acknowledges the reaction to his remarks. "I know that comment has created so much consternation for folks," he says. He then frames his position in personal terms: "It doesn't matter to me about eye color, skin color, what continent you originally came from. I want you to go to heaven, and Christ is the only way to get there." In the clip he presents the stance as rooted in his religious conviction rather than in animus toward individuals.

Key Takeaways

Fritts is a sitting state representative running for governor. He serves in the Tennessee House from Roane County and is competing in the 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary.
He defends the mosque ban on religious grounds. In the clip, Fritts says his Christian faith leaves him "no answer other than that," citing scripture on salvation through Jesus.
His core distinction is that Islam is political, not religious. Fritts calls Islam "a political movement that forces its strategy upon everyone" and "counter to the Constitution," which he uses to separate it from Christian denominations.
He invokes the Tennessee Constitution. Fritts cites Article I, Section 3 and its reference to "Almighty God" to argue that Methodists and Baptists share a worldview that Islam, in his view, does not.
The interviewer pressed the constitutional and slippery-slope questions. The exchange centers on whether banning one faith's houses of worship is constitutional and where such a line would stop.
Courts have rejected the underlying legal claim. Reporting notes that the argument Muslims fall outside First Amendment protection has been repeatedly rejected in court.