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Democratic Pastors Challenge GOP’s Grip on Christian Voters Ahead of November’s US Midterm Elections

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James Talarico

A group of white Democratic pastors is mounting an unusual challenge to Republican dominance among Christian voters ahead of November’s midterm elections, arguing that the party in power has misused Christian teaching for political ends and that they are running for office to push back.

For decades, Republicans have largely held sway over the white Christian electorate in American politics. But a cohort of ministers say they have grown frustrated enough with President Donald Trump, and particularly his administration’s immigration policies, that they are running as Democrats this fall in an effort to check his influence in Washington. “The Christians we’re hearing in Washington don’t reflect the Jesus of the Gospels,” said Adam Hamilton, one of the candidates, in an interview with AFP.

Hamilton leads a 24,000-member Methodist megachurch in a deeply conservative, rural part of Kansas, a profile that would typically align with a right-leaning Republican Christian voter base. Yet the 62-year-old, now running for the U.S. Senate, supports legal access to abortion and protections for LGBTQ rights as part of his campaign platform, alongside more traditionally conservative positions on fiscal responsibility and a strong military. Hamilton pointed to what he described as the “crassness and mean-spiritedness” of the Trump presidency as fundamentally at odds with the values he has spent decades preaching. “This is inconsistent with the values that I’ve preached for 36 years,” Hamilton said. “I want to stand up and be heard saying: ‘This is not OK.’”

Democrats have a long history of clergy entering politics, though that tradition has been concentrated predominantly among African American ministers, including Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who leads Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, the congregation once led by Martin Luther King Jr. Among white Democratic clergy, however, congressional representation has been far rarer. The last white Democratic pastor to serve in Congress was Bob Edgar, a Methodist minister who represented Pennsylvania from 1975 to 1987.

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That pattern appears to be shifting this election cycle. No fewer than seven white clergy members or ministers-in-training are running for congressional seats as Democrats in this year’s midterms, hailing from Iowa, Texas, Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas and Tennessee. Most are political newcomers, and three of the seven candidates are women. Despite their varied backgrounds, the candidates share a common goal of reclaiming religious language and scripture from Republican messaging, using Christian teaching instead to support more liberal policy positions on immigration and poverty.

Among the most prominent of these candidates is James Talarico, a 37-year-old Presbyterian seminarian running for a Senate seat in Texas, a state with a long history of Republican dominance. Talarico’s scripture-laden campaign speeches have reportedly helped him build significant support even within the conservative-leaning state. “You want to know what insults Jesus? Kicking the sick off health care while cutting the taxes of billionaires,” Talarico said during one campaign speech.

Part of the reason Republicans have maintained such a strong hold on white Christian voters, according to some within the Democratic Party, is that Democrats have gradually come to be identified less with the working class and more with a secular, educated elite, a shift that has made religious identity less prominent within the party’s public image. Indira Duggirala, co-chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Interfaith Council, acknowledged that gap directly. “There has been a vacuum in that religious space in Democratic politics,” Duggirala said, describing the emergence of this year’s crop of faith-oriented candidates as something that developed organically rather than through any centralized party strategy. “It’s OK to be a Democrat and be religious,” she told AFP, while stressing that she continues to believe government itself must remain secular.

For many of these candidates, along with a broader swath of both Democrats and Christians more generally, the rise of Trump’s MAGA movement and an accompanying strain of Christian nationalism has become a source of significant concern. Critics have pointed in particular to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s practice of holding prayer meetings at the Pentagon and his use of explicitly religious language to justify the ongoing U.S. military conflict with Iran, a pattern several of the Democratic clergy candidates have cited as emblematic of what they see as an inappropriate blending of religious authority and government power.

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Robb Ryerse, a 51-year-old evangelical pastor running for a congressional seat in Arkansas, another reliably red state, framed the stakes in stark terms. “Christian nationalism is one of the biggest threats to democracy in the United States,” Ryerse said. Despite that assessment, Ryerse and others among this year’s slate of Democratic clergy candidates say they remain motivated to run precisely because they believe they can help correct course. “We need people of faith to stand up and say the United States has a separation of church and state,” Ryerse said, describing part of his campaign’s mission as helping to “clean up the mess” he believes fellow white Christians on the political right have created.

Hamilton, for his part, has framed his Senate bid in historic terms. Should he win in November, he would become the first Kansas Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate since 1932. Hamilton expressed confidence that his campaign has tapped into a genuine appetite for change within the state. “It’s time,” Hamilton said. “I think we’re going to do it. There are a lot of people out there who are saying we need change.”

The broader effort by these Democratic clergy candidates represents a notable, if still relatively small-scale, attempt to reshape how religious identity factors into American electoral politics heading into the fall. Whether their campaigns ultimately succeed in reliably conservative states such as Texas, Kansas and Arkansas remains an open question, but their emergence underscores a broader debate within both parties over how Christian faith should intersect with policy positions on issues including immigration, healthcare, abortion and the separation of church and state, a debate likely to remain a visible thread running through the 2026 midterm campaign season as November approaches.

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Yen’s to-do list gets harder from here

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Yen’s to-do list gets harder from here

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Why is Nippon Electric Glass stock plunging today?

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Why is Nippon Electric Glass stock plunging today?

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Hockey warns on ‘evil’ powers

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Hockey warns on ‘evil’ powers

Joe Hockey has opened the Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum with dire warnings about Iran and Vladimir Putin, while talking up Australia’s critical minerals importance.

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Connect Staffing Group secures contract with Ramsay Health Care

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Connect Staffing Group secures contract with Ramsay Health Care

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Prosperity Bancshares Stock Appears Deserving Of Its Premium Price (NYSE:PB)

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Prosperity Bancshares Stock Appears Deserving Of Its Premium Price (NYSE:PB)

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I have been involved in the financial world for over 25 years with experience as an advisor, teacher, and writer. I am a full believer in the free-market system and that financial markets are efficient with most stocks reflecting their real current value. The best opportunities for profits on individual stocks come from stocks that are less-widely followed by the average investor or from stocks that may not accurately reflect the opportunities that currently exist in their markets.

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

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Tarik Skubal Deal to Dodgers Headlines a Wild Deadline Monday

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Tarik Skubal

Major League Baseball’s 2026 trade deadline arrives Monday at 6 p.m. Eastern time, and fantasy managers across redraft and dynasty leagues are scrambling to sort through a wave of roster-altering moves that could reshape player values heading into the stretch run of the season.

The biggest headline so far involves Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who has landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in a blockbuster deal. For fantasy purposes, a move of Skubal’s caliber to a contending club typically preserves or enhances a pitcher’s value, since it generally signals continued heavy usage down the stretch on a team built to make a deep postseason run, though managers should watch closely for any adjustments to his workload as the Dodgers manage his innings ahead of October.

Beyond the Skubal blockbuster, several contending clubs made moves to shore up their pitching depth ahead of the deadline. The San Francisco Giants acquired right-hander Lucas Giolito, while the Tampa Bay Rays brought in Marcus Stroman, additions ESPN’s fantasy analysts flagged as potential sneaky assets for managers looking to add depth for the stretch run. Both pitchers could see their fantasy value shift depending on how their new clubs deploy them within revamped rotations.

The Chicago Cubs also made a pre-deadline move to address their rotation, acquiring what has been described as one of the more reliable starting pitchers in baseball over the past decade, a needed addition for a team that had been thin on dependable starting pitching depth heading into the deadline.

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Much of the remaining deadline drama has centered on the Seattle Mariners, who are widely expected to move at least one of their starting pitchers before Monday’s deadline passes. Left-hander Kade Anderson, currently pitching in the minors with a 1.27 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP this season, stands to benefit significantly whenever that trade occurs, since a departure by Emerson Hancock, Luis Castillo or another member of Seattle’s deep rotation would open a clear path to the majors for Anderson. Fantasy analysts have specifically recommended that managers ahead of the pack in their leagues’ playoff positioning consider stashing Anderson now, anticipating he could become a meaningful contributor by sometime in August. One additional wrinkle worth monitoring for any pitcher who departs Seattle: whoever leaves the Mariners will also lose access to what is widely considered the best home ballpark in baseball for pitchers, a factor that could meaningfully affect their statistics once traded elsewhere.

The Minnesota Twins have also drawn significant trade speculation. After serving as the biggest seller at the 2025 deadline, Minnesota has performed better than expected this season, sitting at 53-54 as the deadline approaches. Even so, there remains a real possibility that Twins management finishes what analysts have described as an ongoing organizational teardown by trading starting pitcher Joe Ryan or outfielder Byron Buxton, or potentially both. Fantasy analysts have noted that both players represent top-tier trade assets who would fetch substantial returns and are unlikely to ever be more valuable to a trading partner than they are right now. Should Minnesota pursue a further sell-off, that could open expanded playing time for outfielder Walker Jenkins, the organization’s No. 14 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, who has posted a career .864 OPS across his minor league career to date.

Other notable names who remained on the trade radar as Monday’s deadline approached include Athletics closer Mason Miller and Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman, both cited among the bigger names that could still change hands before the 6 p.m. deadline. Fantasy analysts have specifically flagged Goodman, along with Chicago White Sox catcher Ryan Jeffers, as notable sell-high candidates for managers looking to capitalize on strong first-half performances before any potential trade alters their situation.

Elsewhere around the league, the Baltimore Orioles have faced mounting pressure to become sellers as the deadline approaches, with the club’s head of baseball operations, Mike Elias, reportedly under increasing scrutiny from the fan base over the team’s underwhelming performance this season. Should Baltimore ultimately move toward selling, pitcher Trevor Rogers and outfielder Taylor Ward have been identified as the club’s most obvious trade chips.

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Fantasy managers have also been closely tracking bullpen movement throughout deadline week, given how quickly closer roles can shift once relievers change organizations. With relief pitchers changing hands on what analysts described as an hourly basis in the days leading up to Monday’s deadline, managers in leagues that count saves have been urged to monitor closer depth charts closely for sudden changes in bullpen hierarchy at any club involved in a reliever trade.

With the deadline set to close at 6 p.m. Eastern time Monday, additional moves remain possible right up until the final hour, and fantasy analysts have cautioned managers to expect further surprises beyond the deals already completed. As the dust settles on this year’s deadline, the full fantasy fallout, spanning rotation changes, bullpen shakeups and shifting lineup roles for hitters traded to new teams, is expected to become clearer over the following days as rosters and playing time settle into their post-deadline arrangements for the stretch run toward October.

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Chip maker Pragmatic Semiconductor searches for new investment as it hopes to ramp up North East operation

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The firm is known for its low-cost chips which are thinner than a human hair

The Pragmatic Semiconductor plant at Durham

The Pragmatic Semiconductor plant at Durham(Image: Pragmatic/Brands2Life)

Disruptive chip maker Pragmatic Semiconductor says it is focussed on ramping up production at its new County Durham factory site, despite falling revenue and widening operating losses.

Bosses say the innovative firm will continue to bear losses until production and sales scale up. And the hunt for new equity funding – following a successful £179m series D raise – is under way with JP Morgan appointed to lead the effort.

Pragmatic has secured £36m of bridge financing from existing investors, in the form of convertible loan notes, to tide it over in the meantime. It comes as newly published accounts show Pragmatic saw revenues fall to £901,000 in 2025, down from £1.69m the year before, and incurred operating losses of £65.1m, up from £55.8m.

Writing in the accounts, Steve McCue – who was appointed as chief financial officer in March 2025 – acknowledged delays to the company’s plan but talked of the “deep complexity of developing an entirely new disruptive technology. He said directors were satisfied the company continues to make significant progress.

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Pragmatic has developed a fast and sustainable way to develop ultra-thin and flexible chips that are underpinning the digital and AI-led transformation of the economy. In 2022 it chose Meadowfield Industrial Estate as the site for its multimillion-pound, job-creating Pragmatic Park production site, where the second high-volume production line for its chips has now been built and installed to triple its capacity.

In late 2023 the company completed its series D equity raise, co-led by technology investors M&G Catalyst and the UK Infrastructure Bank. At the time, that was said to be the largest European semiconductor venture raise ever.

Given its track record of attracting investment there are hopes the series E round will also deliver for Pragmatic, which has its eyes on an estimated $30bn market. The firm has pointed to initial opportunities in the near-field communications space, dealing with smart labels and inlays for global packaging companies and consumer brands.

Within the results document, Mr McCue wrote: “The directors are pleased to report continued progress with ongoing technology and product innovation and high-volume manufacturing production ramping support of the further commercialisation of the company’s proprietary semiconductor technology and manufacturing processes during 2025. The company’s proven breakthrough technology delivers thin and flexible integrated circuits (‘chips’) at a significantly lower production cost and lower carbon footprint than comparable silicon chips.

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“As an example, our RFID chips can enable item-level intelligence to be embedded in virtually any object on the planet. Moreover, our technology has the potential to fundamentally redefine the global semiconductor industry, with demands for greater supply chain resiliency, diversification of global manufacturing footprint in the face of escalating geopolitical tensions, and significant reductions in emissions, all continuing to present strong tailwinds for the company.

“Pragmatic offers a scalable and capital efficient means to grow semiconductor capacity and allows for truly localised chip production in a way that cannot be matched by other semiconductor technologies, all while dramatically reducing energy and water usage, and eliminating the use of many harmful chemicals required by the industry today.”

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ASX 200 Slips as Iron Ore and Fortescue Slump to One-Year Lows Despite an Overnight Wall Street Rally

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Australia Housing Market 2026: Two-Speed Boom Persists as Prices Hit

Australia’s benchmark stock index edged lower Monday, falling 0.11% to trade at 8,967.2 points, as a sharp slide in iron ore prices and mining stocks offset a positive overnight session on Wall Street driven by strong technology earnings.

The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 9.6 points in early afternoon trading, a modest decline that nonetheless followed an unusually weak start to the session. Futures markets had pointed to a considerably rougher opening, with ASX 200 futures down 85 points, or 0.95%, ahead of the local session, suggesting the index recovered some ground once trading got underway.

Iron ore and major mining stocks bore the brunt of Monday’s selling pressure. Fortescue fell 3.3% to a fresh 11-month low of $17.90, extending a decline that has now pushed the stock down 22% since mid-May and 16% year-to-date. Iron ore prices themselves fell to their lowest level in more than a year, driven by concerns tied to a major physical commodities trader alongside softening demand out of China and deteriorating fundamentals within the steel industry. As recently as three months ago, iron ore had been trading around $110 a tonne; prices have since dropped sharply to approximately $94 a tonne amid the weakening demand backdrop.

Chinese economic data released Monday added to the cautious tone. A private survey showed China’s factory activity gauge slowing, echoing weaker official government data and reinforcing concerns about softening demand from the country that remains Australia’s largest trading partner for iron ore and other key commodity exports.

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Despite the pressure from mining and resources stocks, Monday’s session followed a broadly positive close to July on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.53%, the S&P 500 gained 0.7% and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1% in the final session of the month, with the rally driven substantially by another round of strong technology earnings. Amazon led the advance after its own results helped push the so-called Magnificent Seven group of major technology stocks up roughly 3% collectively, offsetting a decline in Apple shares following its own earnings report. Chipmakers finished the session roughly flat, a result that did little to rescue the sector from what proved to be its worst monthly performance since 2008.

Microsoft’s earnings specifically continued to reverberate through markets heading into the new week. The company’s shares closed up 15.5% on Thursday, lifting its market capitalization to $3.35 trillion and surpassing Nvidia’s prior record for the largest single-day market value gain, a mark set in April 2025. Microsoft guided for Azure cloud revenue growth of 45% on a constant-currency basis in the current quarter, comfortably ahead of the roughly 40.9% growth analysts had been expecting. The company also kept its capital expenditure plans unchanged, at $50 billion for the first quarter of its 2027 fiscal year and $175 billion across the full 2026 calendar year, easing broader investor concerns that AI-related infrastructure spending might begin outpacing actual demand. At least nine brokerages raised their price targets on Microsoft following the results, pushing the average target to $560.90.

Sentiment toward the broader artificial intelligence trade also received a boost from a separate development involving hedge fund Citadel. A deal in which Citadel acquired the remaining public equities portfolio of hedge fund Situational Awareness triggered a relief rally across AI-linked stocks, even as some traders continued to question whether other heavily leveraged funds remain similarly exposed to potential forced selling. That relief rally extended into Asian markets as well, with South Korea’s KOSPI index surging a record 18% on Friday following the news.

Australian shares had entered the new trading week on strong footing after climbing almost 3% during July overall. Within the local market last week specifically, technology stocks rose 8.2% while healthcare stocks gained 5.5%, according to weekly sector performance data, reflecting a broader rotation toward growth-sensitive sectors even as resources and mining stocks have come under renewed pressure heading into the start of August.

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Beyond the dominant iron ore and technology themes, Monday’s session also brought early corporate updates from companies including Transurban, FleetPartners, SKS Technologies, Vista Group and ResMed, with investors weighing those individual results alongside the broader macroeconomic backdrop shaping the session. Softer futures heading into the day had also reflected pressure from rising global bond yields and cautious investor positioning ahead of the bulk of Australia’s corporate reporting season, which continues to unfold through August.

With the ASX 200 continuing to trade well below its all-time high of 9,198.6 points, reached in February 2026, and iron ore prices showing few signs of an immediate rebound, investors are likely to keep close watch on further Chinese economic data and the pace of Australia’s ongoing corporate earnings season in the sessions ahead, particularly given how directly the fortunes of major resources stocks like Fortescue remain tied to the trajectory of Chinese steel and construction demand.

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Elixir Energy Limited (ELXPF) Shareholder/Analyst Call – Slideshow

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OneWater Marine Inc. (ONEW) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Elixir Energy Limited (ELXPF) Shareholder/Analyst Call – Slideshow

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Blackstone Mortgage Trust: Unjustified 25% BV Discount

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Blackstone Mortgage Trust: Unjustified 25% BV Discount

Blackstone Mortgage Trust: Unjustified 25% BV Discount

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