Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico speaks during a campaign rally at the Cailloux Theater on August 31, 2026 in Kerrville, Texas. Talarico continues campaigning across the state in a close race with Republican candidate, state Attorney General Ken Paxton ahead of the November 3 general elections. Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

This November, a notable number of Democrats are running for Congress who all have one thing in common: they are members of the clergy. In a moment when the party is counting on every seat it can flip, will these clergy members be able to win over the party's secular base? NPR's religion correspondent Jason DeRose followed four of the candidates who are running competitive races in Texas and Iowa.

To read more of Jason DeRose's reporting on Democratic clergy candidates click here.

This episode was produced by Sharon Mashihi. It was edited by Jenny Schmidt and Daniel Burke. Engineering by Annlie Huang and fact checking by Gretta Pittenger.

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