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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – KFOR is taking a closer look at a runoff race for a seat in the Oklahoma legislature. It’s drawing attention due to one candidate’s extreme position on homosexuality.

In the Republican run-off for District 87, in Oklahoma City, Gloria Banister is neck-and-neck with Scott Esk.

“I think those kinds of sins will not do our country any good. And certainly doesn’t do anything to preserve the family,” said Esk, while speaking with online newspaper The Moore Monthly, back in 2014, after it got a tip about a Facebook comment Esk made prior to his run for House District 91 in Moore.

At the time, Esk had commented on a story about the pope saying ‘Who am I to judge?’ on homosexuality. Esk responded with scripture, calling for homosexuals to be punished.

Scott Esk comments on homosexuality in 2013 via Facebook

Someone replied and asked, “So just to be clear, you think we should execute homosexuals (presumably by stoning)?”

Esk responded, “I think we would be totally in the right to do it. That goes against some parts of libertarianism, I realize, and I’m largely libertarian, but ignoring as a nation things that are worthy of death is very remiss.”

“I looked at it and I thought, ‘oh my gosh, did a candidate for political office actually post this on Facebook?’” Rob Morris, News Director of the Moore Monthly, told News 4.

Morris called Esk for comment and clarification.

“What I will tell you right now is that that was done in the Old Testament under a law that came directly from God. And in that time there was it was totally just it came directly from God. I have no plans to reinstitute that in Oklahoma law. I do have some very huge moral misgivings about those kinds of sins,” Esk told Morris.

“I bent over backwards to give him an opportunity to kind of at least soften what he said and he didn’t take it,” Morris recalled to KFOR on Wednesday.

“If somehow that legislation happened, you’d be okay with that?” asked Morris during his phone call with Esk.

“Again, it’s a moot point,” Esk told Morris.

Fast forward to 2022, Esk is now the front-runner in a runoff for District 87 in Oklahoma.

On Wednesday, Esk turned down any interview that wasn’t live. Instead, sending KFOR a 2015 Youtube Video response to our previous story in 2014.

“I have compassion on anybody in the grips of an insidious addiction, such as homosexuality, and wish to help them,” Esk said. “Any Christian should be in the position to say that this is sin or this is good. If we don’t make that distinction, we’re not going to help people.”

“So folks in Scott’s district that he’s running, my encouragement for them would be go to the Moore monthly website, look for the nine minute video of the entire interview with Scott. Listen to that and then you decide,” said Morris.

Esk’s opponent, Gloria Banister, sent us this statement in response.

“Mr Esk’s views do not align with mine nor reflect the views of Republican voters in HD87 and he certainly should not be our party’s nominee in the November election.”