At the James Dobson Family Institute, we have been urging, begging, and praying that Christian citizens all over the country will understand the extraordinary importance of the elections on November 3rd. There are eight Senate races that are essentially toss-up contests that could be decided by one percent or less.

In virtually every one of those races, the candidates on one side promote socialism, favor abortion on demand, LGBTQ ideology, restrictions on religious liberty, open borders, and more migration from Third World Islamic nations. Candidates on the other side are pro-life, pro-family, and pro-religious liberty. They support secure borders, lower taxes, and free markets.

All seats in the House of Representatives are up for election. There are dozens of governors’ races. There are important referenda on the ballot, as well as school board races. But this is no ordinary election. It is not just about Left versus Right anymore. It is a battle between extremism and common sense.

The political Left has become so radicalized and so extreme that there are literal communists and radical Islamists on the ballot this year. Some candidates have called for redistributing land, wealth, and other resources.^1-3 Others reject Judeo-Christian civilization. Some candidates claim America is to blame for the 9/11 attacks. One candidate has spoken of his “obligation” to follow Sharia law.⁴ There is even a concerted effort to twist the gospel of Jesus Christ by claiming Jesus supports massive, big government programs that take the earnings of some people and give them to others the government decides are more deserving.

For example, James Talarico, the Democrat Senate candidate in Texas, has said God is “non-binary,”⁵ that the Bible is silent about abortion,⁶ and transgender ideology.

Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, the Democrat Senate candidate in Michigan, refuses to say that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state.⁷ He hangs around with a radical social media influencer who said America “deserved 9/11.”⁸ These are not normal ideas and statements. They are extreme and dangerous.

In both races, there are clear contrasts between the candidates. In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton has staunchly defended the state’s pro-life laws. He has required hospitals to stop performing mutilating transgender surgeries on children. And he resisted the Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies. In Michigan, former Congressman Mike Rogers, the GOP Senate nominee, is a veteran, a former FBI agent, and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He understands the threat America faces from radical Islam.

Unfortunately, I still hear from Christians who say, “Gary, I’m just not interested in politics. It doesn’t matter to me.” Well, politics is interested in us, and we won’t be safe even in our churches if we don’t stand up and vote in defense of our values. Thankfully, some Christian leaders are standing up and urging Christian citizens to get off the sidelines and into the voting booths.

In Virginia, there are two horrible ballot initiatives that would enshrine abortion on demand and the LGBTQ agenda into the Virginia state constitution. The people who wrote these referenda did so in a very deceitful way so that it is hard to figure out what exactly the two proposed amendments would do.

But the Church in Virginia is waking up. Hundreds of pastors are urging their congregations to vote against these horrific amendments. My pastor, Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia, has traveled the state urging Christian citizens to wake up before it is too late.

But perhaps most notable of all with national implications is Pastor Willy Rice, the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Pastor Rice already made it clear that he wants the Southern Baptist Convention to boldly defend God’s ordained institution of marriage as the union of one man and one woman and resist radical gender ideology.

Now, Pastor Rice is sounding the alarm, urging pastors to “step up” and speak out about the moral issues in elections. In a recent interview, Pastor Rice said:

Should pastors engage in the political process? They absolutely should. Because there are many political issues that are, at their heart, theological issues and moral issues that strike at the very center of what we believe to be true and what we believe people need to know in order to flourish personally and as a culture.⁹

Referring to those who attempt to use the Bible to promote socialism and radical left-wing cultural ideas, Rice said:

Now, the interesting thing is that those on the theological and political left did not [withdraw], and they had no intention of doing so. And in fact, statistics show that people on the political and theological left are actually more politically engaged than those on the right. So, what you had was, for a period of time, I felt like you had . . . a vacuum that kind of developed, a silence that was there with a lack of Christian leaders leaning in.¹⁰

Sadly, Pastor Rice is right about those on the Left being more politically active than Christians. For all the media’s hyperventilating about the “Religious Right,” atheists are the most politically active group in America.¹¹ That disturbing reality is obvious in the cultural chaos we see all around us every day.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, our Founding Fathers declared that our rights come from God, not government. They gave us the greatest nation that ever existed in all of human history. The best way we can honor their courage and sacrifice is by voting to ensure that we remain “One Nation Under God.”

1. Chuck Ross, “Democratic House Hopeful William Lawrence Said He Wants To ‘Redistribute All the Land and All the Money’ To Make Up for America’s ‘Evil Deeds,’” Washington Free Beacon, September 9, 2026, https://freebeacon.com/democrats/democratic-house-hopeful-william-lawrence-said-he-wants-to-redistribute-all-the-land-and-all-the-money-to-make-up-for-americas-evil-deeds/.
2. Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck, “Mamdani-backed Congressional Candidate Deleted Posts Calling to Seize Private Property, Abolish Police, Borders, Prisons,” CNN, June 1, 2026,https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/01/politics/kfile-ny-13-darializa-avila-chevalier-deleted-tweets-defund-abolish-police-prisons-deportations.
3. “DSA NY House Hopeful Unveils Radical Housing Plan to ‘Take Buildings Away’ from So-Called Bad Landlords,” New York Post, June 5, 2026, https://nypost.com/2026/06/05/us-news/ny-house-hopeful-claire-valdez-unveils-housing-plan-to-take-buildings-away-from-so-called-bad-landlords/.
4. Robert Schmad, “Unearthed interview reveals El-Sayed’s Sharia ‘obligation’: ‘Not because of fear,’” Fox News, August 12, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/unearthed-interview-reveals-el-sayeds-sharia-obligation-not-because-fear.
5. Peter Pinedo and Paul Steinhauser, “‘God Is Non-Binary’: Texas Dem Nominee Talarico’s Past Remarks on Abortion, Race and Gender Draw Scrutiny,” Fox News, March 5, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/god-non-binary-texas-dem-nominee-talaricos-past-remarks-abortion-race-gender-draw-scrutiny
6. Rachel del Guidice, “Texas Dem Nominee James Talarico Invokes Faith to Defend Abortion Rights, ‘The Bible Is Silent on Abortion,’” Fox News, May 26, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/media/texas-dem-nominee-james-talarico-invokes-faith-defend-abortion-rights-bible-silent-abortion.
7. Pedro Rodriguez, “El-Sayed Has ‘Struggles’ With the Question of Whether Israel Should Be a Jewish State,” The Daily Signal, May 27, 2026, https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/05/27/el-sayed-deciding-israel-jewish-state/.
8. Leo Briceno, “Democrats Team Up with Far-Left Streamer Who Once Said ‘America Deserved 9/11,’” Fox News, March 26, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-team-up-with-far-left-streamer-said-america-deserved-9-11/.
9. Anders Hagstrom, “Southern Baptist president calls on pastors to ‘step up’ ahead of midterm elections,” Fox News, October 4, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/southern-baptist-president-calls-pastors-step-ahead-midterm-elections.
10. Anders Hagstrom, “Southern Baptist president calls on pastors to ‘step up.’”
11. James Dobson Family Institute, “Faith Without Works,” https://www.drjamesdobson.org/policy-culture/faith-without-works/.