How Religion is Being Weaponized in American Elections episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 24, 2026 · 43 MIN

How Religion is Being Weaponized in American Elections

from The Contrarian Pod · host The Contrarian, Jennifer Rubin, and Tom Malinowski

Tom Malinowski, friend of The Contrarian, former congressman and State Department official, recently lost his bid for the 11th Congressional District in New Jersey. He was defeated in a way that should disturb all of us.AIPAC has become a source of dark money, and while it used to be a bipartisan organization, it’s now being funded heavily by Republican billionaires.Tom and Jen discussed the danger that poses to our democracy, the possibility of airstrikes in Iran and why Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” is just another scam.Though Tom didn’t win his primary race, there are other great candidates that are willing to stand up against this authoritarian takeover.Sarah Trone Garriott [29:35] is running for Iowa’s 3rd district. She’s a former hospital chaplain who wants to fight back against rising costs, restrictions in healthcare, and funding cuts to SNAP. We also talked about the concerning spread of religious nationalism in America and how we can push back against the weaponization of faith.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contrariannews.org/subscribe

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How Religion is Being Weaponized in American Elections

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This episode was published on February 24, 2026.

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Tom Malinowski, friend of The Contrarian, former congressman and State Department official, recently lost his bid for the 11th Congressional District in New Jersey. He was defeated in a way that should disturb all of us.AIPAC has become a source of...

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