NEW: Democrat Candidate Exposed For Ties To Satanists

A Democrat congressional candidate in one of the nation’s most competitive House races is facing backlash after a resurfaced video revealed her recounting participation in the wedding ceremony of a self-described satanist couple.

Sarah Trone Garriott, who is challenging Zach Nunn in Iowa’s battleground 3rd Congressional District, is under fire after comments surfaced in which she discussed helping officiate the ceremony while serving as a Lutheran minister.

The controversy centers on remarks Garriott made about a couple from her congregation who identified as satanists. According to the resurfaced clip and reports on the matter, Garriott explained that she agreed to help with the wedding despite their beliefs, framing the decision as part of her ministry and outreach efforts.

“He asked me to pick the Scriptures,” Trone Garriott said, alluding to the pastor overseeing the ceremony. “Irritated, I flipped through the Bible. Should I pick something with Satan in it to make them feel more at home?”

“Eventually, I just put the bookmark in at 1 Corinthians 13,” she said. “If you have ever been to a Christian wedding, you’ve probably heard this Scripture. All they would get from me was [a] basic Lutheran wedding.”

“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. 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.”

WATCH:

WATCH: Iowa Democrat congressional candidate Sarah Trone Garriott — a Christian minister — gushes about officiating a Satanist wedding: https://t.co/YSmudHCdfM pic.twitter.com/V5E9bXpS1M

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 20, 2026

The Democrat is challenging incumbent Rep. Zach Nunn in what has been labeled a toss-up race. Republicans have already targeted Trone Garriott over past comments and positions they argue conflict with the Christian faith she publicly represents.

Nunn previously blasted his Democratic challenger, saying, “She’s made it clear that the values Iowa families live by every single day are the ones she’s running against.”

During the storytelling event, Trone Garriott recounted that the couple wrongly believed they had to be married inside a church and openly dismissed core Christian beliefs.

“These people could barely stand us. They didn’t believe in or really have any respect for what mattered to us,” she said.

Even with her reservations, Trone Garriott said the ceremony went ahead, and she read the passage, “Love is patient; love is kind” during the service. She said the groom, who had a pentagram tattooed on his face, appeared emotional.

“Was he getting teary?” Trone Garriott said. “They had a lot of baggage between the two of them, but there was no denying how they were looking at each other.”

“So what happened to that couple? I have no idea,” she added. “We never saw them again.”

Her campaign later defended the remarks in a statement to Fox News, saying she was simply carrying out the direction of a supervising pastor at the time.

“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 campaign added, “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.”