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Can clergy candidates help Democrats win in red states?

Length
33 min
Published
27 September 2026
Language
English
Text from
the audio
Transcribed
27 September 2026
Read the full transcriptOpen on Apple Podcasts
Notes in English.

Summary

This episode of The Sunday Story examines roughly six or seven Democratic clergy candidates running for Congress in the red states of Texas and Iowa, including Senate candidate James Talarico and House candidates Frederick Haynes, Sarah Trone Garriott, and Lindsay James. NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose explains why they're running, how Republican opponents are attacking their faith credentials, and how voters—from churchgoers to the non-religious—are responding. The reporting suggests these faith-based campaigns are gaining traction, with races in Texas and Iowa moving toward toss-ups.

Key points

  • About six or seven clergy members are running for Congress as Democrats, including James Talarico for Senate in Texas and Frederick Haynes, Sarah Trone Garriott, and Lindsay James for House seats in Texas and Iowa.
  • The candidates say they were not recruited because they are clergy but ran out of a call to ministry and in response to actions of the Trump administration.
  • Republican opponents, including Ken Paxton, Dan Patrick, Zach Nunn, and Joe Mitchell, question whether these candidates are real Christians, with Patrick calling them "pastors in name only" and saying Talarico is "going to hell."
  • Talarico has responded by reframing blasphemy in his preaching, saying the real blasphemy is kicking the sick off health care and letting children go hungry.
  • Voter responses range from enthusiastic churchgoers to skeptics, including non-religious voters who think clergy might bring a stronger moral compass to Washington.
  • Some voters, like Kristen Kott in Houston, object to any religion in politics at all, which remains a challenge for Democrats.
  • The Cook Political Report moved the Texas Senate race from leans Republican to toss-up and Iowa's third congressional district from leans Republican to toss-up.
  • Lindsay James draws on Martin Luther King Jr.'s interpretation of the Good Samaritan: not just helping the injured person but fixing the road, which for her means underfunded rural health care.

Questions it answers

00:00Clergy candidates emerge

Who are the Democratic clergy running for Congress?

About six or seven clergy members are running as Democrats, including James Talarico for Senate in Texas, Frederick Haynes in Dallas, and Sarah Trone Garriott and Lindsay James for House seats in Iowa. They must thread a needle: appeal to people of faith without turning off the Democratic base.

  • Democrats need four House seats and four Senate seats to take Congress.
  • Unlike past progressive faith efforts, this time the clergy themselves are the candidates.

02:40Why they're running

What motivated these clergy to run for office?

None say they were recruited because they're clergy. They describe running as a response to their call to ministry and public service, and say their faith compels them to act against the actions of the Trump administration.

  • Candidates see their runs as an extension of their ministry.
  • This differs from the George W. Bush era of compassionate conservatism, which fizzled.

04:23Texas candidates

What are the Texas clergy campaigns about?

James Talarico preaches on the Beatitudes, framing his campaign around those who "weep" over harm from Trump policies, including black congregations affected by redistricting. Frederick Haynes, pastor of Friendship West Baptist Church, was inspired to run after redistricting eliminated one of Texas's two black House districts.

  • The Talarico-Paxton Senate race is a toss-up.
  • Haynes's Dallas district is safe for Democrats but would be his first elected position.

08:47Iowa candidates

Who are the Iowa clergy running?

Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor and state senator, runs in the third district, citing the Good Samaritan: government's calling is to help the forgotten. Lindsay James, a Presbyterian chaplain and four-term state representative, runs in the second district, motivated by rural health care after the big, beautiful bill.

  • Both connect scripture to policy, especially care for overlooked neighbors.
  • James sees underfunded rural health care as the road to Jericho that needs fixing.

11:23Republican attacks

How are opponents responding to the clergy candidates?

Republicans question whether they are real Christians. Ken Paxton calls Talarico a deceiver; Dan Patrick says he's campaigning against God and going to hell; Joe Mitchell calls them "pastors in name only"; Zach Nunn criticizes Trone Garriott for assisting at a Satanist wedding. Republicans also cite their votes against transgender-restricting bills.

  • Talarico responds that the real blasphemy is kicking the sick off health care and letting children go hungry.
  • The candidates are actually fairly centrist on issues like health care and taxation.

18:19Voters in the pews

How are religious voters responding?

Churchgoers split into enthusiasts and skeptics. Black churchgoers like Candace Stroud welcome Democrats talking about faith, noting many black churchgoers hold conservative values but won't vote Republican. White Lutheran Rich Schneider was skeptical until he heard faith expressed as a calling rather than a bully pulpit.

  • Pew polling shows growing acceptance of same-sex marriage and legal abortion in historically black churches.
  • Candidates like Trone Garriott are careful not to campaign from the pulpit.

23:38Campaign trail reactions

What do voters at campaign events think?

At Haynes's interfaith forum, Muslim attendees like Ali Askar Aliabi valued solidarity with faith groups amid Islamophobia. Non-religious voters like the Hendricksons thought clergy might bring a stronger moral compass to Washington. Grocery prices and health care cuts were recurring concerns.

  • A Muslim professor found solidarity with liberal faith groups like Haynes's.
  • An EMS worker and a public health worker raised Medicare reimbursement and budget cut concerns.

27:52Non-religious voters and results

How do secular voters respond, and is the strategy working?

Some voters, like Kristen Kott, object to religion in politics entirely. Still, Cook Political Report moved the Texas Senate race and Iowa's third district from leans Republican to toss-up, suggesting real traction, though it's hard to attribute the movement specifically to faith messaging.

  • Candidates like James and Trone Garriott have learned to thread the needle in state politics.
  • James never mentioned religion while talking to county fair voters about health care.

Notes

Overview

Ahead of the midterms, NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose reports on roughly six or seven Democratic clergy candidates running for Congress, focusing on four in Texas and Iowa—states Trump won in 2024 by more than 13 percent.

The Candidates

  • James Talarico: Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas, a minister in training who preaches regularly. He frames his campaign around the Beatitudes—"blessed are you who weep"—siding with those harmed by Trump administration policies.
  • Frederick Haynes: Head pastor of the 13,000-member Friendship West Baptist Church, running in Dallas's House District 30 after redistricting eliminated one of Texas's two black U.S. House districts. He calls himself a "Luke 4 Christian."
  • Sarah Trone Garriott: A Lutheran pastor and Iowa state senator since 2021, running in Iowa's third congressional district. She cites the Good Samaritan: "Everyone is your neighbor."
  • Lindsay James: A Presbyterian chaplain and four-term state representative running in Iowa's second district, motivated partly by rural health care after the "big, beautiful bill."

Republican Opposition

  • Ken Paxton calls Talarico a "deceiver" hiding his religious beliefs; Dan Patrick says he's "campaigning against God" and "gone to hell for sure."
  • Joe Mitchell calls the candidates "PINOs—pastors in name only."
  • Zach Nunn criticizes Trone Garriott for assisting at a wedding for two Satanists when she was an intern; she defends it as ministering to people in need.
  • Republicans also cite the candidates' votes against bills restricting transgender rights.

Voter Reactions

  • Churchgoers split into enthusiasts and skeptics; black churchgoers like Candace Stroud welcome Democrats talking about faith.
  • Non-religious voters, like the Hendricksons, think clergy might bring a stronger moral compass to Washington.
  • Some voters, like Kristen Kott, object to religion in politics entirely.
  • Grocery prices and health care were recurring bread-and-butter concerns.

Results So Far

  • Cook Political Report moved the Texas Senate race and Iowa's third district from leans Republican to toss-up.

Transcribed automatically from the audio. Summary and notes written by AI from the transcript, so check anything important against the recording.

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Can clergy candidates help Democrats win in red states? — transcript & summary · Blumify