Iowa Democrat congressional candidate Sarah Trone Garriott — a Lutheran minister running for Congress — said in a 2023 interview that churches and religious leaders serve as barriers to domestic violence victims leaving abusive spouses or seeking help.
Trone Garriott, an Iowa state senator challenging Republican Rep. Zach Nunn in the Third Congressional District, made the remarks in an unearthed clip from a January 31, 2023, interview on the Uncommon Wealth podcast.
“THE CHURCH WAS A BARRIER” TO ABUSE VICTIMS RECEIVING HELP.
While discussing why she initially considered becoming a lawyer to help victims of domestic abuse, Trone Garriott said, “There were a lot of problems with religion related to violence against women.”
She claimed that religious leaders tell domestic abuse victims that their husband abusing them is “their cross to bear and God is punishing you through your husband.”
“Don’t leave because it’s against God’s will,” she continued.
Trone Garriott ultimately said “the church was a barrier” to abuse victims receiving help.
Her criticism stands in sharp contrast to reality on the ground in Iowa. Religious organizations across the state provide direct support to abuse victims — including Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Des Moines, the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church, and other faith-based groups working with churches to assist victims.
“Even for the Wicked Witch of Woke this is a new low and completely disgusting. Sarah Trone Garriott has nothing but criticisms of Christianity and lectures for Iowans but when it comes to satanists, she sings their praises,” RNC spokesman Zach Kraft told Breitbart News.
The remarks add to mounting scrutiny Trone Garriott has faced over previous comments about Christianity and religion.
Trone Garriott defended reading a Muslim prayer in the Iowa Senate, arguing that Christian voices had been “overwhelmingly represented” and that minority voices should be elevated. In an op-ed, she wrote that beginning theological studies at Harvard immediately after the September 11, 2001, attacks made her more aware of “the rising anti-Muslim bigotry and its harm” — while the piece did not mention the Americans who died in the attacks.
She cosponsored legislation that would begin sex-education instruction in kindergarten and later declined to answer questions about the proposal.
During her time in the Iowa Senate, Trone Garriott voted against legislation prohibiting gender-transition procedures for minors, preventing biological males from competing in girls’ sports, and requiring students to use school bathrooms corresponding with their biological sex.
She also voted against legislation prohibiting instruction on gender identity for kindergarten through sixth-grade students and has criticized private school vouchers.
Trone Garriott’s support for transgender-related causes includes a 2020 post saying transgender people experience high rates of food insecurity and “may not feel safe seeking assistance from food pantries.”
She later recognized Transgender Day of Visibility, shared an article titled the “Catholic Case for Choosing Your Own Pronouns,” which she called “thoughtful and faithful reflections,” and described the LGBTQ movement as challenging traditional understandings of men, women, and relationships and as “very threatening to the idea of the white male, powerful figure.”
She also defended a Wiccan-led prayer at the Iowa Statehouse by arguing that “Jesus engaged with pagans.”
During a 2023 speech at a Methodist church, Trone Garriott said it was “uncomfortable” to see “faith and political power” collide and described “religion and political violence” appearing in public life as “very threatening.”
She connected what she called “Christian nationalism” to “white patriarchy — masculine power, violence, and dominance over and against others” and said evangelist Billy Graham “really modeled” an image of “white, Christian masculinity,” describing him as having cultivated an “attractive, strong, macho guy persona.”
Trone Garriott also delivered a 2021 sermon for Downtown Disciples, a progressive Christian community that describes itself as LGBTQIA+ affirming and supportive of Black Lives Matter.
The organization hosts a “Queer and Christian Book Club,” operates child and youth ministries, promotes an all-ages transgender festival, and lists a partnership with the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund, which provides grants to transgender and nonbinary individuals seeking gender-related care.
Trone Garriott was elevated in July to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue program, which the DCCC describes as a “highly competitive” program for “top-tier candidates.”
Her Iowa Senate record also includes opposing a measure restricting SNAP benefits for those in the country illegally, voting against a bill requiring citizenship verification in elections, and missing a vote on legislation that ultimately delivered a $4.2 billion property-tax cut.
She has also said Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions make Americans “less safe,” while calling for immigration legislation that would deport criminals and create a path to citizenship for immigrants who work and pay taxes.
