The relationship between Trump and the Christian Left has shifted dramatically, and the 2026 midterm elections made that clear. Two Democrats running on explicitly faith-driven campaigns—James Talarico in Texas and Adam Hamilton in Kansas—won Senate races in deeply red states by decisive margins, suggesting that the religious left may finally be finding its political footing.
Faith as a Campaign Engine
Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, and Hamilton, the lead pastor of the largest United Methodist congregation in the country and the biggest church in Kansas, did not shy away from religious language. They leaned into it. Both candidates framed their policy positions—gun control, LGBTQ rights, and abortion access in Talarico’s case—as direct extensions of biblical teaching rather than exceptions to it.
Hamilton frequently cited scripture on fairness, justice, and equality on the trail. He questioned the gospel interpretations of political opponents who claim the Christian label. Talarico, meanwhile, positioned himself as a religious counterweight to the Christian nationalism of his opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. He argued that the Bible contains no verses on abortion but thousands on economic justice, and none on gay marriage but hundreds on welcoming strangers and caring for the vulnerable.
Their victories were not solely about faith. Both ran against highly unappealing Republican opponents in states where a majority of residents attend church. But the religious messaging provided a permission structure for Christian voters to support Democrats—something that had long seemed out of reach.
A Long-Shot Mission Suddenly Within Reach
Two years before these wins, the organization Vote Common Good was touring Alabama and Georgia in a bus emblazoned with a phrase from 1 Corinthians, trying to loosen the Republican Party’s grip on godliness. Doug Pagitt, the group’s executive director, described the effort then as a 40-year project. Even the most committed members saw themselves on a long road through the wilderness.
The 2026 results suggested that road may have shortened considerably. Pagitt now points to the election as evidence that Democrats can broaden their coalition by actively including people of faith—not by making the party more religious or relying on religious candidates, but through genuine outreach to communities across society.
Trump's Role in the Shift
The irony, as some observers note, is that Trump’s presidency may have accelerated this opening. His corruption, incompetence, cruelty, and overt courtship of the religious right accomplished in a few years what might otherwise have taken generations: it created space for the religious left to gain ground.
That space is not guaranteed to remain open. For Democrats to hold power in a post-Trump era, the party will need more than opposition to a single figure. It will need a unifying vision that reaches beyond wedge issues and a coalition that is not dogmatic. In practical terms, that means treating faith voters as a constituency worth courting rather than ceding to Republicans.
The midterm results in Texas and Kansas offer a proof of concept. Whether national Democrats build on it—or let the door swing shut—remains an open question.
