Episcopal Bishop Who Challenged Trump on Immigration Now Urging Americans to Vote Ahead of Midterms
Nearly two years after her sermon at the Washington National Cathedral made national headlines, the Episcopal bishop who publicly asked President Donald Trump to show compassion toward immigrant families is stepping into the political spotlight again. This time, she's calling on Americans to cast their ballots in the upcoming midterm elections.
The Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, the outgoing Episcopal Bishop of Washington, appears in a new political advertisement released Monday, October 5, 2026, by two advocacy groups — Interfaith Alliance and Protect Democracy. The ad is posted on YouTube and is set to air in at least four states before Election Day.
The advertisement opens with footage from Budde's now-famous January 2025 sermon, delivered from the pulpit of Washington National Cathedral the day after Trump's inauguration. In that sermon, she spoke directly to the president, asking him to "have mercy" on those "whose children fear that their parents will be taken away." Those words, shown alongside images of masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, set the stage for Budde's direct-to-camera message that follows.
"We have all borne witness to the events of the last two years. So today, I am asking you, again, to have mercy. Just as importantly, I am asking for your courage to love your neighbor, to respect the dignity of every human being, and now, to vote."
Budde, who recently announced her intention to resign as Episcopal Bishop of Washington, delivers that appeal directly to viewers in the new spot. Her 2025 sermon had prompted a sharp response from Trump, who referred to her in a social media post as a "so-called bishop."
Where the Ad Will Run and Why
According to a spokesperson for Interfaith Alliance and Protect Democracy, the ad featuring Budde will run in four specific media markets: Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Those locations are not chosen at random — each overlaps with competitive congressional races heading into the midterms.
In Iowa specifically, at least two Democratic candidates running for Congress are clergy members. The Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor and state senator, is running for Iowa's third congressional district, while the Rev. Lindsay James, a Presbyterian pastor and state representative, is competing for the state's second congressional district.
Representatives for both the Republican and Democratic national committees did not respond to requests for comment on the advertisement.
Shifting Views on Immigration Among Faith Communities
The timing of the ad reflects a broader trend in public opinion. A March 2026 survey from the Public Religion Research Institute found that support for Trump's handling of immigration dropped across every major religious group included in the poll. The most dramatic shift came among white non-evangelical Protestants — the religious category that includes Budde and her denomination. Support for Trump's immigration policies within that group fell 20 percentage points, dropping from 64% in March 2025 to just 46% a year later.
That decline in support has coincided with more than a year of organized, faith-based opposition to the administration's mass deportation efforts. Clergy from major mainline Protestant traditions — including the Episcopal Church, United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), and United Church of Christ — have participated in high-profile demonstrations against ICE operations across the country.
The protests have not been without risk. Seven faith leaders were arrested in November 2025 at a protest outside an ICE facility in Illinois. In January 2026, nearly 100 clergy were arrested at a single demonstration outside the Minneapolis airport. Most recently, seven Vermont clergy were arrested last month while protesting near an ICE targeting center.
Some clergy at these demonstrations have also been physically impacted. Reports indicate that Department of Homeland Security agents have fired pepper balls and pepper rounds at clergy protesters. Several mainline denominations, including the Episcopal Church, have also joined a growing number of lawsuits challenging the administration's immigration policies in court.
Not all religious voices have opposed the enforcement actions. Some evangelical pastors have publicly expressed support for the ICE raids.
The new Budde ad is the fourth in the "Choose Love, not ICE" campaign run by Interfaith Alliance and Protect Democracy. Earlier installments have featured imagery from anti-ICE protests, including one ad that spotlighted religious opposition to enforcement operations, and a December 2025 ad that combined footage of violent detentions — including of clergy — with audio of a child singing the Christian hymn "O Holy Night."
