A cluster of clergy and faith-rooted Democrats are running for office while insisting on religious pluralism and church-state separation — a posture that contrasts sharply with the Christian-nationalist strain in the GOP.
Progressive Christian candidates (e.g., James Talarico, Adam Hamilton, Raphael Warnock lineage) ground policy in the Social Gospel while defending religious pluralism and the First Amendment.
The Christian right, especially its Christian-nationalist wing, increasingly rejects church-state separation and seeks to impose a particular public morality.
Public-opinion data cited (Baylor Religion Survey) show major differences in how Trump voters and Biden/Harris voters view the role of religion in government.
Who these candidates are and what they say
James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, and Adam Hamilton, a Methodist megachurch pastor in Kansas, have been prominent examples. Talarico's televised and online exchanges (including a widely viewed Jimmy Kimmel clip and an unaired Stephen Colbert interview excerpt) use biblical language — for instance, referring to Jesus' rebuke of false prophets and invoking care for "the least of these" — to criticize cuts to food assistance, Medicaid restrictions, and harsh immigration enforcement.
Their rhetorical pattern is to ground policy arguments in Christian moral language while also insisting that the state must not force religion on others. Talarico explicitly defended the First Amendment's separation of church and state in conversation with Stephen Colbert, arguing that love for neighbors includes respect for religious and nonreligious diversity.
The piece identifies a single, decisive political difference: the Christian left, as represented by these Democrats, generally supports church-state separation and religious pluralism. The Christian right, and especially its Christian-nationalist faction, increasingly denies or downplays that separation and seeks to enshrine a particular version of Christian public morality into law and policy.
The article cites the Baylor Religion Survey conducted after the 2024 presidential election to draw contrasts between Trump voters and voters for Kamala Harris. Key figures reported there include:
The piece also notes that Trump's second-term Religious Liberty Commission — composed largely of conservative Christians — issued a report advocating for "building bridges" between church and state rather than maintaining separation.
Watch whether these religious Democrats keep foregrounding constitutional pluralism while campaigning. Also monitor whether Christian-nationalist policy proposals (through commissions, court pushes, or legislation) accelerate efforts to blur separation. Election outcomes will test whether voters accept explicitly religious Democrats who pledge not to impose faith or prefer a politics that fuses governing power with sectarian claims.
The danger comes when Christianity becomes identified with a political project whose primary purp...
I've never been a hardline defender of no enemies to/on the Right. But what do I know is that every major *institutional* threat to both our country and the church is on the Left, period. And it's not even close. Don't hear what I am not saying. I'm not saying there can't be threats on the Ri...
Jia Lynn Yang, NYTimes "I often wonder," Talarico said, "What would Jesus do if he visited the U.S. Senate?" "I think he would tell the senators on the floor, 'Depart from me,'"...
James Rowell, Providence Are you a Christian or are you a Capitalist? The rising appeal of Democratic Socialism is a response to current inequality, as we seem forced to choose between a...
Two recent books examine why women embrace a politics that puts them last.
Precious Moments figurines and Christian romance novels aren’t overtly political, but they shape how Christian women see themselves and the world.
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.