Three progressive Democratic Senate candidates are drawing on faith-based messaging to connect with voters, mirroring a political strategy long associated with the Republican Party.
Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, Michigan candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and Texas state Rep. James Talarico have each woven religion into their campaign platforms during the current midterm cycle.
The approach echoes the “Moral Majority” coalition that emerged in the late 1970s under former President Ronald Reagan, when Republicans moved to tie conservative policy positions directly to Christianity.
Nixon made headlines after scoring a significant upset against Alexander Vindman, a central figure during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, who had carried the backing of the Democratic establishment in Washington.
During a sermon at the Saint Paul AME Church of Jacksonville, Florida, Nixon drew a direct comparison between her political stances and the teachings of Jesus Christ.
“They are trying, y’all. They are trying to label me as this extremist, this radical. But, you know, Jesus was a radical,” Nixon said.
She continued: “And Jesus fought for, I mean, he pushed for the same things that I’m fighting for today, right? We’re literally in a civil rights moment.”
Nixon joined the Democratic Socialists of America in June, prompting swift backlash from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which moved to tie her campaign to socialism.
El-Sayed, who is Muslim and running against former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan’s competitive Senate race, made a similar comparison during an appearance on the Progressive Christians Podcast.
“Well, you know, Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, was considered radical in his time, too,” El-Sayed said when pressed on his policy positions.
He added: “There is a radical nature to being willing to stand forthright in a time of corruption, and we live in a time where people are trying to normalize corruption.”
Of the three candidates, Talarico has most visibly integrated faith into his campaign, having enrolled in seminary classes with the goal of becoming a Presbyterian minister.
Republicans have challenged his use of religious language, particularly his defense of transgender children and his public statements about the nature of God.
In pushing back against a Texas anti-trans bill in 2021, Talarico cited the opening lines of the Bible to argue that God transcended binary categories of gender.
“The first two lines of the Bible, the first two lines in Genesis, use two different Hebrew words to describe God. One is the masculine Hebrew noun for divinity,” Talarico said.
“The second is the feminine Hebrew noun for spirit. God is both masculine and feminine, and everything in between,” he continued, adding plainly: “God is non-binary.”
All three candidates face competitive general election contests, with Nixon set to challenge Sen. Ashley Moody, Talarico facing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and El-Sayed squaring off against former Rep. Mike Rogers.
