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Detroit Pastor Lorenzo Sewell told Digital that progressive politicians are trying to “virtue-signal, placate, and try to propagate to Christians” because they represent the largest religious voting bloc in America.
“It’s the largest voting bloc in America. We’re celebrating 250 years, where our forefathers — they understood that the God of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, would give them the ability to start this great nation,” Sewell said. “And we see that we’ve not been a perfect nation, but we understand that we’ve been the most benevolent.”
“We’ve been the nation that’s protected Israel,” he continued. “We’ve been the nation that, quite frankly, has spread Christianity throughout the world to reach hundreds of millions of people in the last 250 years.”
Three progressive Democratic candidates running for the U.S. Senate — Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, former Michigan health official Abdul El-Sayed and Texas state Rep. James Talarico — shared a penchant for bucking the Democratic establishment in their high-profile primary bids this midterm cycle. They have also incorporated their religions and faiths into their campaigns and messaging to voters.
JAMES TALARICO ADMITS PAST COMMENTS ‘MISSED THE MARK’ WHEN CONFRONTED ON CLAIMS LIKE GOD IS ‘NON-BINARY’
Democratic candidate for Senate James Talarico speaks during a rally in San Antonio, Texas, on May 29, 2026. (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images)
Talarico, a Texas state lawmaker and theological seminary graduate, has often cited biblical scripture to defend progressive policies, gaining national attention. Talarico has argued that Jesus focused on feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, and helping the poor rather than engaging in partisan culture wars.
“Imagine a Democratic Party that takes on big money and isn’t captured by it,” Talarico told an audience of Democrats in Hays County, according to a report by the Texas Tribune. “Imagine a Democratic Party that delivers for people on housing, health care, and education, and actually defeats the right-wing extremists who have taken over this country.”
In a sermon laying out his progressive framing of the Bible, Talarico asked what Jesus would do “about a tax system that benefits the rich over the poor” and “a health care system that forces the sick to start GoFundMe pages to afford lifesaving surgeries.”
PROGRESSIVE FLORIDA LAWMAKER ANGIE NIXON TOPPLES TRUMP IMPEACHMENT WITNESS IN DEM SENATE PRIMARY UPSET
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks to supporters at an election-night rally at the Majestic Theatre on Aug. 4, 2026 in Detroit, Mich. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
During comments at the Saint Paul AME Church of Jacksonville, Florida, Nixon — the Democratic Senate nominee facing Republican incumbent Sen. Ashley Moody in November — contended that her political positions were akin to those 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.
El-Sayed, during an appearance on the “Progressive Christians Podcast” that aired in May, similarly invoked Christ when asked about his policy positions. El-Sayed, who is Muslim and running in Michigan’s Senate race against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, was asked about the overlap between Islamic teachings and Christianity, and why his platform was being framed as radical.
EL-SAYED MAKES JESUS COMPARISON WHEN PRESSED ON SOCIALIST VIEWS: ‘RADICAL IN HIS TIME, TOO’
Progressive hopefuls are taking a page from Republicans’ playbook and tying their faith to their policy platforms, comparing their “radical” positions to Jesus Christ. (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images; Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images; Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“Well, you know, Jesus — peace and blessings be upon him — was considered radical in his time, too,” El-Sayed said.
Sewell insisted that progressive Democrats are simply playing politics with the electorate.
“They know that they need to appeal to Christians. But the question becomes: What is their agenda for the church?” he said. “President Donald Trump has been the only president that has an agenda for the local church.”
“I was with them last week,” Sewell added. “I’ll be preaching at the RNC coming up, and that’s because the president honors the church and honors the presence of God. But you won’t hear Jesus in the DNC. You won’t hear Jesus spoken about through the real Jesus — the God of the Bible.”
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‘ Alex Miller contributed to this report.
