He grew up on a farm in Indiana, the son of a factory worker and eldest of five children. He studied at Liberty, a Christian university founded by conservative pastor and televangelist Jerry Falwell, and recalls wearing a T-shirt expressing opposition to the Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Two decades later, Justin Douglas is running for the US Congress -- as a Democrat. He is among about white 30 Christian clergy -- pastors, seminary students and other faith leaders -- known to be potential Democratic candidates in next year's midterm elections, including a dozen who are already in. While stressing separation of church and state, many say that on a personal level their faith is calling them into the political arena. The trend marks a break from a traditional racial divide. Black pastors who run for office are typically Democrats; their white counterparts are usually Republicans, reflecting the religious right's strength and the party's dominance among evangelicals.
In Arkansas, Robb Ryerse, a Christian pastor and former Republican, is mounting a challenge to Representative Steve Womack, adopting the slogan "Faith, Family & Freedom" -- rhetoric more commonly found in Republican campaign literature.
Ryerse, 50, from Springdale, Arkansas, said: "I joke sometimes that the two people who have changed my life more than any others are Jesus and Donald Trump, for very different reasons. Donald Trump is absolutely inconsistent with Christian principles of love and compassion, justice, looking out for the poor, meeting the needs of the marginalised.
"But Donald Trump has also used and been used by so many evangelical leaders who want political power. He has used them to validate him to their followers and they have used him to further their agenda, which has been a Christian nationalist culture war on the United States, which I think is bad for both the church and for the country."
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