DES MOINES, IA— Following months of Zach Nunn’s desperate smears and attacks on Sarah Trone Garriott’s Christian faith, the Des Moines Register this morning published new reporting highlighting how these false attacks are “backfir[ing] with some Iowa voters.” because they know Sarah’s values.

As Nunn and Republicans have repeatedly called Sarah a “‘so-called’ or ‘fake’ minister” and attacked her work as a chaplain, minister, and food pantry leader to distract from Nunn’s failed record, the Register details how Sarah’s faith calls her to love and show up for her neighbors and how she “considers her faith and public life to be deeply intertwined.”

Multiple Republican voters expressed disgust with Nunn’s attacks on Sarah’s faith and shared their support for her – including a “registered Republican” who “voted twice to send Nunn to Congress” who “has become disenchanted” with Nunn’s attacks on Sarah. 

From the Register’s reporting:

• Wylie, the treasurer on the St. James church council, was a Republican for 45 years until about 2016. […] Wylie said he votes for candidates who match his values, regardless of party. He plans to vote for Trone Garriott because she practices what she preaches: being kind, listening and serving others.
• “She’s genuine in her faith,” Wylie said. “She’s genuine in her desire to serve others. And, you know, what more would you want, really, for a person representing you than somebody that does that?” 
• Churchgoers who have long known Trone Garriott in faith settings who spoke with the Register said the Republican attacks don’t jibe with the pastor they know and instead reflect the toxicity and polarization of modern American politics. 
• John Brown, 71, a registered Republican from Johnston who attends St. James Church, has known Trone Garriott for nearly 15 years, and said he voted twice to send Nunn to Congress since his first bid in 2022. 
• He [Brown] has become disenchanted after hearing Nunn’s comments in an interview with conservative radio host Simon Conway criticizing Trone Garriott as “preaching down to Iowans.”
• “Frankly, I heard that, and I’m ashamed that I voted for him after hearing that,” Brown said. “It’s like, let’s get to the issues that affect Iowans and not fabricate stuff to try to have the ultimate attack ad.”
• Laurie Politzer, 52, of Waukee, an anti-Trump Republican who previously had Trone Garriott as a pastor at Faith Lutheran Church, watched on as Vance and Nunn took jabs at Trone Garriott in May. She said the remarks signal “politics is way off the rail at this point.” 
• “You hear these ads against someone you know and it doesn’t resonate with the person you know, and it just feels so weird and gross,” Politzer said. 

The Register also published a fact-check of the numerous lies that Zach Nunn and his allies have pushed about Sarah Trone Garriott, directly refuting many of their false claims and providing important context for other journalists and voters.

Today’s reporting follows fact-checking by the American Journal, which also clearly identified many of these political attacks as lies, including the false claim that Sarah Trone Garriott officiated a ‘satanic wedding.’ They went on to say that “The bad-faith nature of these attacks may suggest that Republicans are feeling desperate.”

“My faith is what sent me to sit with people on the worst days of their lives as a chaplain, and it’s what drives me to help my neighbors as an elected official,” said Sarah Trone Garriott. “What I learned in ministry is simple: to serve a community well, you have to show up. Show up for the people who agree with you and those who don’t, because there is no one who is not my neighbor.

“I’m proud of the work I’ve done in the church, at my local food pantry network, and in the Senate, and I’m not going to apologize for any of it,” added Trone Garriott. “Iowans can read these stories and see the truth for themselves, and they’ll see these attacks for exactly what they are: desperate attacks from a career politician willing to do anything to cling to power. Iowans deserve better than that.”

Sarah Trone Garriott is a Lutheran Minister, State Senator, former food bank coordinator, and candidate running for Congress in Iowa’s 3rd district. This toss-up seat will be one of the most competitive races in the entire country and will determine control of the House Majority.