Democratic candidate Sarah Trone Garriott, a pastor who has repeatedly expressed support for transgender-related issues, including a post in 2020 claiming that being transgender increases the likelihood of experiencing food insecurity, is running against incumbent Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA), who is set to host Vice President JD Vance in Iowa next week.
Trone Garriott, a Lutheran minister and Iowa state legislator running for Congress, posted on X in 2020: “It’s Transgender Day of Remembrance. In my work with the area’s largest food pantry network I learned that trans neighbors experience a high rate of food insecurity and may not feel safe seeking assistance from food pantries. We can do better.”
In subsequent years, Trone Garriott continued to post messages recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility, including in 2023 when she expressed gratitude for Iowans “of all ages,” a phrase spanning children and adults supporting the transgender movement in Iowa, and in 2024, when the observance fell on Easter, she cited Mark 16:1–8 in a message marking the occasion.
In a speech on “Christian nationalism” at Ames First United Methodist Church, Trone Garriott described the LGBTQ movement as a “challenging of that status quo, of the way that things have been, of who’s a man and who’s woman and how relationships are,” and said it is “very threatening to the idea of the white male, powerful figure,” adding that it “muddies the waters and makes things ambiguous and confusing.”
During her time in the state Senate, she also voted against legislation addressing participation in girls’ sports and measures related to transgender procedures for minors, asserting such policies reflect a belief that “white men are responsible to protect women from threats” and aim to “protect these feminine, fragile, weak women and girls.”
Trone Garriott opposed Iowa legislation known as SF496, which, among other provisions, requires schools to notify parents if a child adopts a different name or pronouns at school, restricts LGBTQ+ topics in K–6 education, and bans books depicting sex acts from public schools. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA).
That same year, Trone Garriott shared an article on Facebook detailing the “Catholic Case for Choosing Your Own Pronouns,” which she described as “thoughtful and faithful reflections.”
In prior remarks, Trone Garriott criticized the demographic makeup of Iowa’s leadership, stating that it is “mostly white, mostly Christian, and mostly older men.” She has also referred to private Christian schools as “segregation academies,” contending they can function as “white enclaves.”
In an op-ed, she defended a Wiccan-led prayer at the Iowa statehouse and argued that “Jesus engaged with pagans.”
In a separate opinion piece, Trone Garriott wrote that the September 11, 2001, attacks made her more aware of anti-Muslim bigotry and its impact. She described her experience beginning theological studies at Harvard immediately after the attacks as shaping her perspective on religious inclusion. She also defended her decision to deliver a Muslim prayer in the Iowa Senate, stating that legislative prayer had been overwhelmingly Christian and that including other faith traditions reflected the state’s diversity, while emphasizing the importance of elevating voices she views as underrepresented.
Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Kraft told Breitbart News, “Sarah Trone Garriott is a cautionary tale to never go full woke. Otherwise, you will end up babbling nonsense about transgenderism being connected to hunger and making the ‘Christian case for 37 genders’ in between officiating Satanic weddings and conducting witchcraft cult rituals.”
Nunn will appear alongside Vice President JD Vance in Iowa next week, where he said they will discuss “the advancement of manufacturing” and highlight “the success stories that we’ve taken from Iowa to become best practice in our nation’s capital.”
Free tickets for the May 5 event in Des Moines featuring the vice president are available here.
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