Republicans falsely claim Democrat officiated a Satanic wedding

False Claims Circulate Amid Iowa Election Campaign

Iowa’s political landscape is heating up as Republican Rep. Zach Nunn and others disseminate an incorrect narrative that Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott officiated a Satanic wedding.

Trone Garriott, a state senator and Lutheran minister, is challenging Nunn in an election where he is deemed one of the most vulnerable Republicans in Congress.

In 2023, Trone Garriott shared a personal story at the Des Moines Storytellers Project, focusing on the theme of “love.” She recounted an incident from 2006 when a couple identifying as Satanists requested a marriage ceremony at the West Virginia church where she was training.

Although initially uncomfortable, Trone Garriott was advised by her head pastor to proceed with a Bible reading. The experience underscored for her the need to extend goodwill to all, regardless of differing beliefs.

“It’s hard work to love one another and we often need to be reminded how,” Trone Garriott stated.

Contrary to the claims, she neither officiated the ceremony nor was it Satanic in nature. The event was a Christian service conducted in a Lutheran church, incorporating New Testament readings.

Despite these clarifications, Nunn and his supporters continue to mischaracterize the event.

“[Trone Garriott] feels that Iowa is too white, too Christian, too male to be successful,” Nunn remarked at a Republican gathering in Clarke County. “She says she’s a Lutheran pastor, but then she goes out and officiates demonic weddings.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) amplified this narrative with a social media post accusing Trone Garriott of officiating a “SATANIST WEDDING” and suggesting that “Democrats are NUTS.”

This rhetoric was echoed in various statements by Republican spokespeople.

Another claim suggests Trone Garriott labeled Iowa’s private Christian schools as “white enclaves” and “segregation academies” in a 2023 sermon. This too is misleading. She accurately described how some Christian schools emerged in response to 1970s racial integration policies, without implying current discrimination.

These attacks might indicate Republican unease. A March poll by Conservatives for America showed Nunn with a narrow one-point lead over Trone Garriott. Moreover, Trone Garriott’s campaign raised $2.2 million last quarter, significantly outpacing Nunn’s $968,000.

The Cook Political Report currently categorizes this election as a toss-up.