As the Democratic Party wanders in the post-election wilderness after the bruising defeats of 2024, some of its newer leaders are tapping into an ancient form of connection: religion.
In Texas, a young lawmaker who could run statewide is urging his fellow white progressives to embrace discussions of faith in politics.
In Georgia, a Black pastor and U.S. senator is reclaiming religious language from those on the right who, he suggests, have twisted it to their own ends.
And in Pennsylvania, the Jewish governor’s faith is a central part of his public identity, evident in his campaign advertising and his major speeches — and even at a recent Christmas tree lighting.
“If y’all have not seen ‘National Lampoon Christmas Vacation,’ take it from this Jewish guy,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said as he addressed a holiday celebration in Harrisburg, Pa., this month. “You better go and rent that movie.”
While President Biden is a practicing Catholic who has often carried a rosary and playfully crossed himself, he long stood out in an increasingly secular Democratic Party.
But with his exit from public life nearing, a small but prominent cast of Scripture-quoting, religiously observant Democratic politicians — many of them poised to command national attention over the next four years — is signaling that he is no longer the exception to the rule.
As a Democratic Party defined for years by its opposition to President-elect Donald J. Trump grapples with what it stands for now, these officials see discussion of faith as a way to introduce themselves, explain their values and find common ground.
Many are also battling the idea that religion has a political party, echoing other Democratic challenges to Republican claims on patriotism and support for the troops.
“It’s unfortunate that in American politics, faith rhetoric has become one more tool in the politics of ‘us and them,’” said Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who leads the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, saying that the major faith traditions emphasize seeing others as “neighbors.”
“I’m trying to reclaim that, in the noisy conversation that we in the American family have about who we are,” he added.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited churches during the campaign and occasionally mentioned her pastor — but she rarely discussed her Christian faith in personal terms.
Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Ariz., who was involved in Republicans for Harris efforts, saw that as a missed opportunity.
“I don’t know if it was because we didn’t have enough time, or because the people that were doing messaging for the campaign for some reason didn’t think that was an important message,” he said. “In hindsight, I think it would have helped.”
State Representative James Talarico of Texas, a Democrat who is studying to become a minister, was more blunt, describing “a hesitancy, even among deeply religious Democrats,” to discuss the subject.
“Progressives have got to understand that the separation of church and state is not the separation of faith and politics,” said Mr. Talarico, who is weighing a statewide run. “Unless we do, we’re going to keep losing elections.”
‘Being open about your faith actually allows you to get closer to people’
In October, Mr. Warnock hosted Mr. Shapiro at his church. The Pennsylvanian immediately introduced himself as a fellow person of faith.
“Good morning, church,” Mr. Shapiro said that Sunday. As the room greeted him, he replied, “Shabbat shalom to you as well.”
Mr. Shapiro highlights his observant Jewish identity to a degree rarely seen in American politics, citing his faith to explain his interest in public service.
“It is important for the community to understand, wherever you are, what motivates you,” he said in an interview. “That’s important for people to know before you start talking to them about bills and policies and proposals.”
Mr. Shapiro said that when he talks about his faith, it can encourage people of other backgrounds to open up.
During his 2022 governor’s race, he ran an ad featuring his family’s weekly Sabbath dinner. Voters who were not Jewish, he said, would mention it to him.
“People would come over to me and say, ‘Hey, I saw your ad. That was really neat,’ and then they’d tell me about what Sunday lunch is like after church,” he said. “Being open about your faith actually allows you to get closer to people in a much deeper way.”
At a time of rising antisemitism — and debates over what constitutes antisemitism — that approach is not without complications. That was evident during Ms. Harris’s vice-presidential search, when Mr. Shapiro’s identity, alongside his condemnations of what he saw as antisemitism at colleges, drew attention from supporters and critics alike.
Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Warnock campaigned together during the presidential race. Mr. Shapiro said they discussed subjects including how to strengthen fraying bonds between the Jewish and Black communities.
Both are often mentioned as potential presidential candidates.
First, though, Mr. Shapiro will be up for re-election in 2026. (“I love what I’m doing. I hope to do it for a good long while,” he said, all but confirming another run.) Mr. Warnock is up in 2028. (“I remain focused on my work serving the people of Georgia,” he said in an interview when asked about a White House bid.)
Several Democratic officials said Mr. Warnock offered a model for how to talk about faith and politics.
Mr. Warnock said his “faith is not a weapon, it’s a bridge.” His faith’s teachings have informed his views on issues including health care and immigration.
He also said he wanted to offer a “countervailing narrative” to those who use religion as a cudgel.
“Too often,” he said, “faith has been the voice and face of what is mean in our politics.”
‘I don’t think that Republicans have religion on lock’
For years, the Republican narrative has held far greater appeal for many religious Americans — white evangelical Christians most prominently.
But a Pew Research Center report this year showed signs of weakening Democratic support among other religious groups, including Hispanic Catholics. Democratic challenges with voters of faith were also unmistakable in post-election exit polls.
While 2020 exit polls showed Mr. Biden narrowly winning Catholic voters, exit polling this year showed Mr. Trump capturing Catholic voters and holding his ground with Protestants and other Christians, who embraced him despite his long record of crude behavior and his felony conviction for falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal.
Ms. Harris dominated with voters of no religious affiliation, who made up about a quarter of the electorate in exit polls.
Mallory McMorrow, a Michigan state senator who won Democratic acclaim defending liberal values while identifying herself as a “straight, white, Christian, married suburban mom,” said many Americans, including herself, had complex relationships with religion.
That, too, can present opportunities for connection, she said — especially when, fairly or not, “people perceive Donald Trump as authentic.”
“If it is part of your experience in an authentic way, no matter how messy or complicated it is, talk about it, because there are countless people who have that same experience who want to feel seen,” said Ms. McMorrow, who is considering options for a 2026 statewide run. “I don’t think that Republicans have religion on lock.”
Santa and Chinese food for the holidays
When Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg ran for president in 2020, he cited Scripture and argued that Mr. Trump’s conduct and policies were starkly at odds with Christian teachings.
But he said in an interview that discussing religious identity as a candidate is not always easy, especially for Democrats who care deeply about the separation of church and state.
“While faith can connect you to others, obviously there are so many ways in which faith, through all of human history, has been a source of division,” said Mr. Buttigieg, who is gay and has been attacked by some conservative Christians over his sexual orientation.
Many people — himself included — tend to see religion as a private matter, he said.
But for him, Mr. Buttigieg said, “it’s still appropriate to talk about it in order to give an honest accounting of why you believe what you believe.”
Mr. Buttigieg, who grew up in Indiana and became a Michigan resident in 2022, will have another chance to do that if he enters the 2026 Michigan governor’s race, though he has said he has made no decisions about his future.
Asked if he believed he knew his adopted state well enough to run, he replied, “I have a lot of humility about having only moved to Michigan a few years ago, although, of course, I did grow up in the neighborhood.”
But first, there are the holidays.
Mr. Buttigieg said he would be celebrating in Michigan with his young family, including his 3-year-old twins who have “a lot of expectations for Santa.”
In Pennsylvania, Mr. Shapiro plans to partake in a beloved Jewish American tradition on Christmas Day.
“Hopefully, I’ll be in sweatpants with my family eating Chinese food,” he said.
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