Battleground Dem candidate linked public displays of faith to political violence in 2023 speech

A Democratic House candidate running in a battleground seat in southwestern Iowa linked faith to political violence while warning against religion in public life, according to unearthed audio reviewed by Fox News Digital.

"We have seen religion and political violence showing up more and more in our public spaces," Democratic candidate Sarah Trone Garriott said in a 2023 speech at a Methodist church. "It's something that is just very in our faces and something that we're very concerned about, and something that feels very threatening right now at this time." 

Trone Garriott, a state legislator and Lutheran minister, is running to defeat Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, in November’s midterm elections. Prior to launching a House bid, Trone Garriott fashioned herself as a fierce opponent of Christian nationalism — a term some conservatives have argued that critics use to paint some Christians as prone to violence and hostile toward democracy.

In the speech, Trone Garriott said it was "a good thing to talk about religion and politics together" and spoke positively about living out one's faith in their community. However, she repeatedly voiced discomfort about seeing public Christian displays and suggested it was something to be rooted out.

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An image of a woman holding a sign with the phrase "one nation under God, indivisible" found in the Pledge of Allegiance, according to Trone Garriott, was one of several "pretty uncomfortable ways that faith and political power have collided." The Iowa Democrat also called attention to Christian displays at one of President Donald Trump's rallies and during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

"This is not a Christian nation. It’s a nation for all of us," Trone Garriott told the church congregants. "Spaces and proceedings need to be for all people, and we need to work on reminding folks of that."

As a state senator, Trone Garriott said she intentionally sought out opening prayers that were not from the "White American Christian variety," but from atheist, secular and other non-Christian perspectives.

Trone Garriott also spoke critically of parental rights in education and private Christian schools. She charged that both stemmed from racist opposition to the integration of public schools when parents desired to create a "White enclave" for their children.

"So maybe some of these things sound familiar today," Trone Garriott said in her remarks. "It’s nothing new."

The Iowa Democrat then proceeded to tie White men to her criticism of legislation barring biological males from women’s sports or preventing children from reading sexually explicit material. She notably opposed a bill keeping men out of women’s sports while serving in the state Senate.

"It’s really couched in the language of there’s a threat against women and White men are responsible to protect women from threats," Trone Garriott said. 

Trone Garriott’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

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Nunn, who is seeking a third term in November, slammed Trone Garriott’s comments in the resurfaced video in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"I was raised around Iowans who go to church every week and show up for their neighbors," Nunn said. "Sarah Trone Garriott can't walk into a church without delivering a lecture about how their faith is threatening and their schools are racist."

"She's made it clear that the values Iowa families live by every single day are the ones she's running against," he added.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), House Democrats’ campaign arm, said Trone Garriott is working to unify Iowans in the 3rd Congressional District and condemns political violence.

"Sarah is a mom and minister who has served her community as a hospital chaplain and a parish pastor — public display of her faith has been a guiding force in Sarah’s life and continues to be to this day," DCCC spokesperson Katie Smith said. "Sarah has always condemned political violence however it rears its ugly head and will always work to bring Iowans together."

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest for the Republican-held seat as a "toss-up."