Douglas County conservative Bill Jack has announced plans to once again run for House District 45, currently occupied by Rep. Lisa Frizell (R-Castle Rock) in 2024. Jack is a longtime conservative Christian activist who was recruited by former Rep. Patrick Neville to fill the seat in 2022 before losing to Frizell ( who is leaving to run for the state Senate this year) in the primary.
“The problems we face have become even worse since I first ran for HD45 in 2022 so I am once again running to represent the Republican grassroots voters who make our district great,” said Jack in a news release. “Our hardworking neighbors deserve a strong grassroots leader who will willingly and happily fight for the unborn, the 2nd Amendment, smaller government and all the conservative values we hold so dear. The decision to run again in 2024 came as I saw sell-out Republican insiders once again promoting a say-anything candidate who represents the big-government interests of the political establishment, not the everyday conservative voters who I care about.”
Jack gained notoriety in 2015 for his civil rights complaint against a Denver bakery for refusing to make a cake with the message “God hates gays.” In August, Jack attended the protest at Douglas County Pride Fest organized by Able Shepherd founder Jimmy Graham. Jack was among the group of approximately 70 men, wearing matching shirts that read “stand to protect children” on the front and “Jesus loves you (and so do I)” on the back, who disrupted the event’s family-friendly drag show.
Prior to the protest, Jack attended the Aug. 15 Castle Rock City Council meeting. “I can tell you what I witnessed last year at the Pride Fest last year was nothing less than sexual grooming, legally,” he said during public comment. “Not just should be illegal, not just immoral. It was evil. It was prurient. It was disgustingly insane, the actions that were performed. It was demeaning to the individuals performing them, and it was corrupting to the community of Castle Rock. … I urge you to take action to protect the innocence of the children. You may or may not be accountable before the electorate, but you certainly will be accountable before the righteous judge of the universe, who values those children.”
Jack is also the co-founder of Worldview Academy, a Texas-based Christian leadership program. A post on the website “Homeschoolers Anonymous” describes a lesson taught by Jack:
“I was a senior in high school sitting in my first ‘Worldview Academy’ with Bill Jack. He was doing one of his infamous ‘Q&A with a Non-Christian’ sessions, and this one was him pretending to be a ‘gay guy.’ As soon as he started talking the entire front row of teenage boys jumped back and moved their chairs, to get away from him. Everyone was laughing at Mr. Jack’s over the top interpretation and ‘effeminate’ behavior. When he finished I expected him to scold the boys for reacting that way, but instead he applauded them and told them that was the right response. I felt sick to my stomach. Sure, it was a ‘sin’ to be gay, but that didn’t mean we had to treat gay people as gross or vile or make fun of them. Did we? I remember this was one of the first times I started to think that maybe we had it wrong. Maybe Jesus didn’t act like a conservative Christian.”
Jack did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
Jack also serves on the board of TeenPact, a “biblically-based leadership training program in government and the political process for students.” Groups like TeenPact, and the more well-known Generation Joshua, teach children how to lobby politicians and provide students opportunities to engage in the political process. One of the most successful students to come out of Generation Joshua was former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn.
David Chapman, a former TeenPact operations manager, writes of how “ministry leaders in my day skirted ethics, exploited underage labor, underpaid their full-time staff, used ministry resources to support local, state, and national politics.”
Notable TeenPact alumni include convicted felon and Trump legal advisor Jenna Ellis.
Jack opposes abortion, noting on his website, “Our Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States are biblically-based documents that recognize The Creator gives and sustains not just the breath of life but gives value and worth to every human from conception. The life of an unborn child—even one conceived in tragic circumstances—is still precious.”
Jack’s website also embraces election fraud conspiracies. “The Secretary of State and even some Republican elected officials claim Colorado has the Gold Standard when it comes to our voting process. I say, ‘Let’s assay the gold to determine if it is 24k, 18k or fool’s gold.’ Too many Republican voters are not participating in the election process because they think their votes do not count. Democrats either are hiding improprieties or simply discouraging Republican voters who throw up their hands in frustration. I call for a forensic audit for the purpose of assuring transparency.”
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, a previous version of this article stated incorrectly that Jack would be challenging Frisell in the HD45 GOP primary. Frisell is not running for reelection as she is instead aiming for a state Senate seat.
