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Democratic rising star extends ‘love’ after Hegseth pastor prays for his death

A Texas Democratic Senate candidate answered a pastor’s “imprecatory” rhetoric with forgiveness, but the bigger story is how violent-sounding political theology is being laundered as “just metaphor.”

Elections

Mar 25, 2026

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/25/james-talarico-pete-hegseth-pastor

Summary

Texas state rep and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico responded after Brooks Potteiger, described as Pete Hegseth’s close spiritual adviser, agreed on a podcast that they want Talarico “crucified with Christ,” following remarks about praying that “God kills him.” The Guardian frames this as a “pray for his death” controversy but only partly resolves the key ambiguity: whether listeners are meant to take the language as spiritual-metaphorical, political incitement, or both. It matters because public figures and adjacent influencers increasingly use religious language that sounds like violence while retaining plausible deniability when challenged.

Reality Check

The core dispute is not whether the words were said—they were—but what audience meaning they carried. Potteiger’s “crucified with Christ” defense is a real, common Christian metaphor for conversion, and Haymes explicitly added that he meant “killing his heart,” not necessarily literal death. At the same time, the segment also used unmistakably punitive language (“destroy them,” “make them as dung on the ground”), which predictably reads as a political “death wish” to many listeners—especially when aimed at a named candidate in an ongoing campaign.

Media

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Detail

On or about Tuesday, March 24, 2026, Talarico posted on X: “Jesus loves. Christian Nationalism kills… You may pray for my death, Pastor, but I still love you.” The remarks Talarico was responding to came from a “Christian nationalist” podcast, Reformation Red Pill, hosted by Joshua Haymes, in a discussion with pastor Brooks Potteiger. On the show, Haymes used imprecatory-psalm language (“God, destroy them”) and said: “I pray that God kills him,” then added that he meant “killing his heart” and raising him to new life in Christ. Potteiger agreed during the exchange, saying: “We want him crucified with Christ.” Afterward, Potteiger issued a clarification saying he was not praying for literal death but for “conversion,” describing “crucified with Christ” as Pauline language. The Guardian piece ties the podcast world to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by describing Potteiger as his closest spiritual adviser and noting Hegseth has appeared on the podcast multiple times (though the story does not claim Hegseth participated in this specific episode). Talarico recently won the Texas Democratic Senate primary and is aiming to challenge Sen. John Cornyn in November 2026, with some reporting noting the GOP side may still be headed to a Cornyn–Paxton runoff.