Iowa Democratic Candidate Under Scrutiny for Officiating Satanist Wedding

Democratic House candidate Sarah Trone Garriott’s campaign has found itself on the defensive after a video resurfaced showing her recounting her participation in the marriage of a satanist couple during her time as a Lutheran minister-in-training.

The incident, which occurred in 2006 while Trone Garriott was serving as an intern pastor at a West Virginia parish, has reignited scrutiny of her religious views as she campaigns for a highly competitive congressional seat in Iowa’s 3rd district against incumbent Republican Rep. Zach Nunn.

In remarks delivered at the Des Moines Storytellers Project in 2023, Trone Garriott described the experience as offering a “spiritual lesson” about love. She recalled her initial irritation when asked to select scripture readings for the ceremony, saying, “Should I pick something with Satan in it to make them feel more at home?”

Instead, she chose 1 Corinthians 13, a biblical passage commonly read at Christian weddings. “When the Apostle Paul wrote these words, he certainly never had in mind a small town in West Virginia, two satanists and a Lutheran pastor in training,” Trone Garriott told the audience. “But Paul knew people, and people haven’t changed that much over the centuries. It is hard to love one another. We often need to be reminded how.”

According to her account, the couple had mistakenly believed they needed to marry in a church and proceeded to challenge Christian beliefs during their interactions with the church staff. Despite this tension, Trone Garriott described a touching moment during the ceremony when she noticed the groom, who had a pentagram tattooed on his face, appearing emotional.

The Iowa race is classified as a “toss-up” by political analysts, making it a crucial contest in the battle for control of the House of Representatives. Republicans have seized on the story, arguing that it fits a pattern of behavior they claim contradicts the Christian faith Trone Garriott represents.

“She’s made it clear that the values Iowa families live by every single day are the ones she’s running against,” Rep. Nunn previously told Fox News Digital.

This is not the first time Trone Garriott’s religious views have drawn attention in the campaign. In a separate 2023 speech, she expressed discomfort with public displays of Christianity. She also wrote a 2025 op-ed defending her decision to seek non-Christian prayers at the Iowa statehouse as a state senator, arguing that “Jesus engaged with pagans” in response to Christian lawmakers who protested a Wiccan-led prayer.

When asked for comment, a spokesperson for Trone Garriott’s campaign emphasized her professional responsibility as a minister-in-training. “Sarah followed the direction of her supervising pastor and had no control over who walked through the church’s doors — it was her job to minister to everyone, including people she does not share beliefs with,” the spokesperson said. “Like so many Iowa Christians, Sarah’s faith calls her to love thy neighbor, and she follows Jesus’ example of embodying his grace for everyone.”

A campaign source disputed characterizations of Trone Garriott’s role in the wedding, noting she wasn’t ordained until 2008. However, in her storytelling remarks, she explicitly referred to it as “my first wedding.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee has used the incident to question Trone Garriott’s judgment. “Her record shows a clear pattern of rhetoric and decisions that contradict her own faith, raising serious questions about her judgment and values,” NRCC spokeswoman Emily Tuttle said. “If she’s willing to blur those lines, Iowans can’t trust her to stand up for them.”

With both parties fighting intensely for control of the House in the upcoming election, incidents like these take on heightened significance in closely contested districts where cultural and religious values can sway voter decisions.