Pastors and a Seminarian Win Midterm Races as Democrats Talk Faith on the Trail. Test the Fruit, Not the Branding.
Several Democratic pastors and a Texas seminarian won midterm races while using faith language on the trail. Judge them by their votes, not their slogans.
The facts come first below. My opinion follows in the section marked as opinion.
Several Democratic candidates who are pastors, a seminarian or other church leaders won Senate, House and state races on Tuesday, drawing fresh attention to how faith language played in a midterm that flipped Congress.
These accounts come from reports read early Thursday morning, Nov. 5, Central time. A few related races remain uncalled.
Religion reporters treat the moment as a possible return of the religious left, which has long had less visibility than conservative Christians in national politics. The wins do not by themselves prove a lasting movement. They do show that some Democratic candidates used Scripture, pastoral habits and church networks as part of their campaigns in places that recently voted Republican.
Who won
On the Senate side, Rev. Adam Hamilton, pastor of a large United Methodist congregation in Kansas, defeated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, NPR reported. Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932, according to National Catholic Reporter, which said Hamilton's Church of the Resurrection draws more than 20,000 people on an average Sunday. James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian and Texas state representative, won a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, NPR and NCR both reported.
On the House side, NPR listed Rev. Frederick Haynes, pastor of a 13,000-member Baptist church in the Dallas area, and Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor from Iowa who defeated Republican Rep. Zach Nunn. United Methodist Insight, summarizing Baptist News Global, also named Garriott's win and said Haynes will replace Rep. Jasmine Crockett in Texas' 30th District. NCR reported that with Haynes, Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, three Black pastors who are Democrats will serve in Congress in January.
United Methodist Insight also reported that Iowa Gov.-elect Rob Sand frequently referenced his faith on the trail, and that Presbyterian chaplain Lindsay James won an Iowa statehouse seat. It said Arkansas pastor Robb Ryerse lost his House race to Republican Rep. Steve Womack. NPR separately noted that at least one clergy House race, involving Chris Jones in Arkansas, had not been called by the Associated Press as of Wednesday.
How they talked
NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose said Talarico preached in churches on themes such as the parable of the Good Samaritan and used a line alluding to the Beatitudes: "Blessed are those who weep," adding that sometimes people see more clearly through their tears. DeRose said Garriott and James spent much of their time listening to voters about costs rather than giving explicitly religious stump speeches.
NCR reported that Hamilton has said he intends to lead from the middle. Hamilton told Religion News Service in August, "Wouldn't it make more sense if you had a moderate Democrat working the Democratic side of the aisle for Kansas, and you had a moderate Republican working the Republican side of the aisle?"
For the national results these races helped produce, see Democrats Win House and Senate; Alaska, Dozens of Seats Uncalled.
United Methodist Insight quoted Garriott saying people are realizing "there's been a vacuum that was created by well-intentioned people not talking about how faith and politics intersect, and the vacuum was filled by the religious right." That is her diagnosis. Readers can weigh it against what these candidates do in office.
Opinion:
Christians should not panic because Democrats quoted the Bible. Nor should they celebrate every pastor who wins under a party label. Quoting the Good Samaritan on the trail is not the same as obeying the whole counsel of God in committee. A collar is not a character reference.
Test these men and women the way you would test anyone else. Where do they stand on protecting unborn life? On marriage as God made it? On parents' rights and religious liberty? On telling the truth when their party is wrong? Faith talk that never confronts sin is branding, not discipleship.
Scripture still says, Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Pray for every new member by name. Hold them to their words. And remember that the church's first job is to preach Christ, not to recruit for either party.
If a pastor in Congress votes to protect children, tell the truth and restrain the state, thank God for that mercy. If the same pastor baptizes party fashion as gospel, say so out loud. The country needs less branding and more obedience.
