Politics


Churches to Play Key Role in 2026 Elections


Conservative Christians mobilize to take advantage of the new IRS rule for houses of faith.


T BY CARRIE SHEFFIELD


he trump administra- tion’s approval of churches endorsing political candi- dates is being closely watched


for its impact on next year’s midterms. In July, the IRS overturned a 1954


rule that prohibited tax-exempt orga- nizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates. The change came in a settlement


with the National Religious Broad- casters (NRB) and several churches, who said it violated their First Amend- ment rights. Mike Farris, NRB’s general counsel,


told Newsmax magazine the organiza- tion filed the case because it believes the law violates the free speech rights and free exercise rights of churches to express their views. Farris said their legal argument


rested on the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, providing pro- tection against government infringe- ment on religious liberty. “Our pleadings point out that


James Madison got elected to Con- gress because he was endorsed by Bap- tist churches after he promised to give them a bill of rights,” Farris said. “So, we wouldn’t have the Bill of


Rights if it weren’t for Baptist churches in Orange County, Virginia, endorsing a political candidate. So, we think that the fruit of involvement by nonprofits is — we have a great historical legacy of good coming from it.” Faith is of growing importance to Americans, accelerating its potential to motivate voters at the ballot box. Even before the assassination of


42 NEWSMAX | DECEMBER 2025


conservative leader Charlie Kirk helped spark a nationwide surge in church attendance among young people, patronage by Gen Z men had already been increasing. Georgia and Michigan are two Dem- ocrat-held Senate seats that are con- sidered toss-ups by political experts. Both could see significant impact from religious voters, especially Christians in Georgia and Muslims in Michigan.


“The move by the president to ‘allow’ churches and clergy to endorse candidates is merely moving back toward how it should have been all along.” — Rev. Phil Whitaker


The U.S. Senate seat in North


Carolina is an open battle, deemed a toss-up also, following Republican Sen. Thom Tillis’ surprise retirement announcement. Various studies, including Pew Research, continually place North Carolina as one of the most religious states in America, with a strong Chris- tian majority dominated by the South- ern Baptist Convention. Similar trends exist in the U.S.


House, with current battleground electoral math favoring Republicans, and toss-up races in states like Penn- sylvania, North Carolina, Texas, and


Iowa could see an outsize impact from religious conservatives. Even prior to the IRS ruling, con-


servative Christians have already been mobilizing through leaders like David Lane, David Barton, and Paula White- Cain, who now directs the White House Faith Office for President Donald Trump. Rev. Phil Whitaker is the founding


pastor of Brambleton Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia, and served there from 1979 through 2001 full time, and part time for another year, until 2002. “The move by the president to


‘allow’ churches and clergy to endorse candidates is merely moving back toward how it should have been all along,” Whitaker told Newsmax magazine, citing the establishment clause’s protection of religious liberty. “Additionally, churches from the


left have been sponsoring appear- ances and speeches by candidates with impunity for years. Only church- es from the conservative side have been attacked by leftist supporters for speaking out about what they believe.” Left-leaning churches, including


within the African-American tradition, have often mobilized voters through initiatives like Souls to the Polls and candidates such as Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Kamala Harris making fre- quent church stops to tout their ideolo- gies. Whitaker, a pro-life conservative activist, said he thinks that while this isn’t legally wrong, it is morally wrong. “The churches are here to advocate


for righteousness,” Whitaker said. “The purpose of the church is to pro- claim the gospel of Jesus to everyone, in every walk of life. “If political candidates advocate for


that freedom and for righteous laws, the church should be able to endorse those actions in a political candidate as much as they do in one another. Advocacy for liberty and for righteous- ness is clearly within the mission and calling of the church.”


Carrie Sheffield is the author of Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness.


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