NEW AD: Christian Nationalism & Extremism Are On the Ballot

This week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered an incendiary speech replete with so many religious references that it sounded like a battle cry for a new Christian crusade. In his speech, Hegseth announced the establishment of the Office of Religious Affairs to further his Christian Nationalist agenda.

Hegseth has made Christian nationalist rhetoric and policy integral to the Pentagon, demonstrated by his assertion this week that, “Our department is, you might say, putting on the full armor of God, because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual.” Hegseth is also using Christianity to justify the war in Iran, while also lying about its alleged success. In his speech, Hegseth claimed the U.S. military is “ensuring that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon,” with little evidence to suggest that objective – or any objective – has been met over the past seven months.

Across the Trump administration and Republican Party, Christian nationalism is on the rise, along with the erasure of the separation of church and state. As President Trump recently said, “We’re bringing back religion in our country…because for America to be a great nation, we must always be one nation under God.” In Trump’s America, Christianity is inextricably tied to government, as exemplified by his statement, “They say separation between church and state…I said, ‘All right, let’s forget about that for one time…” No thanks.

As we consider what’s at stake in this election for American Jews and so many other minorities, it’s clear that religious freedom, democracy, and the separation of church and state are on the ballot, and there’s a painfully sharp distinction between the two parties. Republicans have accepted and even embraced Trump’s Christian nationalist agenda, to the detriment of our freedom and fundamental rights, and Democrats are pushing back. In 2026, Democrats are running to stop the wrecking ball of destruction Trump has taken to our democracy. Jews are safest when our democracy is strongest, and Trump’s extreme Christian nationalist agenda threatens our democracy.

This dynamic is featured in a NEW JDCA PAC AD just released targeting Jewish voters in Ohio, where we make the case that a vote for Jon Husted, the incumbent Republican senator, is a vote for Donald Trump and his extreme agenda.

This JDCA PAC ad exposes a truth that applies to GOP candidates across the country. The GOP’s close alignment with the most extreme aspects of Trump’s agenda is anathema to Jewish voters. We hope you’ll join our efforts to spread the word by supporting JDCA PAC’s ad campaign and expand the reach of similar ads in other states.

The stakes of electing Democrats who share our values have never been greater. We must elect candidates who will defend our country and community from the grave threats posed by the far-right; reject Christian nationalism and defend the Jewish community and other minority communities from Trump’s erasure of the separation of church and state; and defend our democracy, which is significantly threatened by Donald Trump.

We hope you’ll invest in this effort by supporting JDCA PAC’s ad campaign today.