{"id":32819,"date":"2026-09-02T10:41:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T14:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=32819"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:41:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T14:41:20","slug":"jesus-was-a-radical-progressive-senate-candidates-put-faith-at-center-of-left-wing-campaigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/09\/jesus-was-a-radical-progressive-senate-candidates-put-faith-at-center-of-left-wing-campaigns","title":{"rendered":"‘Jesus Was a Radical’: Progressive Senate Candidates Put Faith at Center of Left-Wing Campaigns"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
From Left: Public Domain, Public Domain, John Pesina \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A trio of progressive Senate candidates is increasingly turning to religious language on the campaign trail, invoking Jesus Christ and their own faith traditions to defend policies Republicans have labeled radical.<\/p>\n

Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and Texas state Rep. James Talarico have each made faith a prominent part of their political messaging this election cycle. While their religious backgrounds differ, all three have argued that challenging the political establishment can be consistent with the teachings and example of Jesus.<\/p>\n

Nixon, who scored an upset victory over Alexander Vindman and will face Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in November, made that case during a recent sermon at Saint Paul AME Church in Jacksonville, Florida.<\/p>\n

“They are trying, y’all. They are trying \u2026 to label me as this extremist, this radical,” Nixon said. “But, you know, Jesus was a radical.”<\/p>\n

Nixon went further, arguing that Christ “pushed for the same things that I’m fighting for today” and describing the current political climate as “a civil rights moment.”<\/p>\n

Her comments quickly drew attention from Republicans, who have already targeted Nixon over her ties to the Democratic Socialists of America. Nixon joined the DSA in June, though she has denied identifying as a Democratic socialist.<\/p>\n

El-Sayed, a Muslim running against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan, has made a similar argument.<\/p>\n

Appearing on the Progressive Christians Podcast in May, El-Sayed was asked about the overlap between Islam and Christianity and why some of his political views are considered radical.<\/p>\n

“Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, was considered radical in his time, too,” El-Sayed said.<\/p>\n

“There is a radical nature to being willing to stand forthright in a time of corruption,” he added, arguing that popularity does not determine what is true.<\/p>\n

Perhaps no candidate in the group has more openly blended religion and politics than Talarico, who is running against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Talarico has taken seminary courses as he works toward becoming a Presbyterian minister and has frequently framed progressive policies through his understanding of Christianity.<\/p>\n

That approach has also generated controversy.<\/p>\n

While opposing a Texas bill involving transgender children in 2021, Talarico accused Republicans of attempting to justify the legislation “in the name of God’s law.” He then offered an interpretation of Genesis that drew sharp disagreement from traditional Christian teaching.<\/p>\n

“The first two lines in Genesis use two different Hebrew words to describe God,” Talarico said, claiming one was masculine and another feminine. “God is both masculine and feminine, and everything in between.”<\/p>\n

“God is non-binary,” he concluded.<\/p>\n

The comments highlight a broader political shift as some progressives seek to reclaim religious language long more closely associated with conservative campaigns.<\/p>\n

The strategy also raises a deeper question for Christian voters: When politicians invoke Jesus to support their platforms, are they allowing Scripture to shape their politics \u2014 or using Scripture to give their politics a divine stamp?<\/p>\n

With several closely watched Senate races heading toward November, that debate over faith, Scripture and political power is likely to remain part of the campaign conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A trio of progressive Senate candidates is increasingly turning to religious language on the campaign trail, invoking Jesus Christ and their own faith traditions to defend policies Republicans have labeled radical. Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and Texas state Rep. James Talarico have each made faith a prominent part of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":32822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n'Jesus Was a Radical': Progressive Senate Candidates Put Faith at Center of Left-Wing Campaigns<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Progressive Senate candidates invoke Jesus and faith to defend left-wing policies, sparking debate over religion and politics.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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