The political landscape in the United States today is changing at an unprecedented pace. The would-be white clergy candidates are now on the rise — within the Democratic Party. This trend continues a complex history between evangelical leaders and political power. The importance of this exclusion was particularly important during the Trump administration. The present and future of the Democratic Party. These candidates set out to change the way faith engages with and affects politics, addressing issues of civil rights and embracing diversity and inclusivity.
Donald Trump’s presidency will go down in American history as a major turning point, particularly among white evangelical voters. In the 2016 election, he won an astounding 85% of the white evangelical vote. This information is the result of a new national survey from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). His administration has often and openly conflated religious rhetoric with political power plays. Far too often, evangelical leaders have taken advantage of this moment to further their own power. This has led to a counter-movement among some clergy—judging that faith is being politically exploited—who have become disillusioned.
Over the course of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Democratic Party fell victim to a massive realignment. It made civil rights, feminism, and secular liberalism its most important values. This departure from living by traditional religious values provided new avenues for candidates to capitalize on. Jimmy Carter capitalized on this opportunity and thus became the first evangelical Christian president. Carter was unable to fulfill the expectations of his evangelical backers. In many ways, this failure has been a major factor in defining the current state of faith and politics.
One of those new cycle of candidates includes Justin Douglas, a 41-year-old county commissioner and upstart candidate hoping to shake up the establishment as a Democrat running for Congress. He is part of a group of approximately 30 white clergy members transitioning into politics for the upcoming midterm elections. Douglas’s journey includes founding a new church that promotes inclusivity, as well as previously leading a congregation that welcomed LGBTQ+ individuals. His opposition to LGBTQ+ rights earned him the loss of his pastoral license in 2019, but he refuses to compromise his convictions.
“I paid the price for standing with the LGBTQ+ people. I would do it again. It taught me that doing what’s right is often costly but always necessary, and everyone deserves to be safe, respected and fully included. That’s not a religious belief. It’s a human belief that I have.” – Justin Douglas
Robb Ryerse, a Christian pastor and former Republican from Springdale, Arkansas, is another notable candidate challenging incumbent Congressman Steve Womack. Ryerse captures perfectly the sense of betrayal that many evangelicals feel after having been played for suckers by the Trump administration.
“We realise hey, our churches and the people in our churches have been duped by this guy and so rather than hope someone else will clean up the problem, what we’ve seen is a lot of pastors respond with, you know what, I’m going to jump in and I’m going to be a part of the solution.” – Robb Ryerse
He calls for love and compassion to prevail in political action and public policy. Ryerse’s description of the conflict of traditional Christian values versus the state of today’s politics is jarringly honest.
“I joke sometimes that the two people who have changed my life more than any others are Jesus and Donald Trump, for very different reasons. Donald Trump is absolutely inconsistent with Christian principles of love and compassion, justice, looking out for the poor, meeting the needs of the marginalized.” – Robb Ryerse
The engagement of Arkansas clergy in politics is not an isolated instance. Sarah Trone Garriott, an Evangelical Lutheran pastor from Iowa, is in the race and aggressively seeking her party’s nomination. She’s hoping to unseat the Republican incumbent Zach Nunn. Her candidacy represents an increasingly popular trend as white clergy take the political fight — often under the Democratic flag — to Republicans.
Doug Pagitt, executive director of the progressive Christian group Vote Common Good, has been largely responsible for boosting these candidates. This idea that Republicans are the pro-faith party, that’s just false, he says.
“But I also think the stereotypes of Republicans being pro-faith are bullshit too. We’re seeing a current administration bastardise faith almost every day.” – Justin Douglas
For Pagitt, seeing clergy join politics is part of an exciting change in how faith gets to shape government. Thirdly, he explains that many of our clergy are motivated by a deep ecclesiastical pathos. Plus, they stay laser-focused on this mission rather than distracted by the often-divisive political ideologies.
“The difference couldn’t be more stark, which is why white clergy running for office is such a big deal when they’re running as Democrats in Iowa, in Arkansas, in Pennsylvania, in California.” – Doug Pagitt
The increase in white clergy candidates on ballots within the Democratic Party underscores a larger shift that’s taking place within American politics. These folks together are a deeply challenging counter-narrative to the long-standing association of evangelicalism with Republicanism. Fresh, fierce, and focused on change, these activists are committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion—and shaking up the old school ways that didn’t work.
Many of these candidates believe their faith compels them to engage with pressing societal issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and poverty alleviation. The rise of these figures, faith-informed though they are, could point to a larger reconsideration about the way that faith should inform our politics.