Frank Pomeroy's 14-year-old daughter Annabelle was killed in shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas in November 2017. She was one of 26 victims of the massacre.
According to the NY Post, Pastor Pomeroy said the mass shooting in EL Paso, Texas this month, which killed 22 people, prompted him to get into politics.
"If I can bring civility and godliness and help stymie the downward spiralling of the great state of Texas, that's what I'm choosing to do try to do, Pomeroy said Sunday afternoon at his church after the service, according to news site KUT.
"I feel as though that morality and integrity is disappearing rapidly and I feel as though the direction Texas goes — if Texas falls, the country falls."
Pomeroy, who will be running as a republican said that he's concerned about "integrity and morality" in the Democratic Party.
Although the 53-year-old pastor hasn't held elected office before, he said he's had many conversations with people about guns and other top political issues following the church massacre.
"This is totally out of my wheelhouse, but I'm totally trusting the Lord to show me how to do the things I need to do," Pomeroy said.
He added that the El Paso mass shooting at a Walmart store troubled him due to the way victims were being used by lawmakers to score political points.
The First Baptist Church shooting has been recorded as the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history.
Devin Patrick Kelley opened fire in the church during a service. The 26-year-old with a history of violence was found dead in a vehicle after he was chased by two people who heard the gunfire at the church.
The church opened a new sanctuary this year after the old building was transformed into a memorial.
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