State Sen. Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott reminds us that “every single elected office matters,”
Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott is an Iowa State Senator and an ordained ECLA minister focused on helping working families: good schools, clean water, quality accessible healthcare, economic opportunity, safe communities, and civil rights.
Hear the full November 2, 2024 episode here.
TRANSCRIPT:
REV. PAUL BRANDEIS RAUSHENBUSH, HOST:
Okay, I am here on the bus, and I am with Senator – but also Reverend – Sarah Trone Garriott, who is an ELCA pastor, so a Lutheran pastor, but also a state senator. Welcome to the State of Belief!
REV. SARAH TRONE GARRIOTT, GUEST: Thank you so much, Paul.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH: So we just spent a little time together in front of the Capitol talking about religion, democracy and voting. How does it feel to have one foot in both of those places? The Capitol is like one of your homes, but you also have pastored churches. And so how do you understand this kind of wonderful balance between two really important ways that democracy functions in America?
SARAH TRONE GARRIOTT: So I see religious life as how we live together. And government, ideally, is the same thing. And they both can help us to live together better, provided that the folks are being faithful to that calling to care for their neighbors.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH: Yeah. So one of the things that is just present is, who gets to speak for religion, who gets to speak as an American, who has the bully pulpit? And the bully pulpit can be actually a pulpit in a church, but it can also be in politics. And so you must have seen a lot in your time in both of those locations. What’s the reality right now, as you see it, in Iowa?
SARAH TRONE GARRIOTT: So I think there’s a lot of opportunity everywhere. Iowa has been called a red state, but my district, the people are pretty independent-minded. No matter what political affiliation they have, they want to vote for folks who are going to work hard, who show up, who care, who listen. And so we have a lot of ticket-splitters here in Iowa. A lot of people are guided by their faith, but we have a pretty diverse community. So folks are all over the place, whether their faith is religious or not, whether it’s Christian or a variety of other religious faiths. There’s a lot of folks who, they care about their neighbors. They want their community to be safe and welcoming and have opportunity. Those are pretty universal values.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH: Right. It’s so important. And talk about this moment in time. You know, one of the emphases, “The vote is sacred.” So that also kind of sits in both of your areas. And it just seems like right now, we’re really trying to emphasize that every vote, every voice matters – because every person matters. And so how do you understand that great saying, which also came from someone who straddled both areas – Rep. John Lewis was also a very religious man. I think he was an ordained minister. What are the ways that “The vote is sacred” speaks to you as an idea?
SARAH TRONE GARRIOTT: Well, as a state legislator, I know every vote truly does matter. I won my first race by 164 votes. So some really important decisions are made by the people of our community, and it can be coming down to a handful of votes. So I try to remind people that really, truly, their voice matters in the process of state government when it comes to voting. And it’s important that we make educated choices about who is going to lead us in all of these different roles. Every single elected office matters. Every decision that’s on the ballot is important to our community.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH: Right. I mean, I think that sometimes it’s a disconnect, like, “Oh, what they’re doing over there”; but actually what they’re doing over there has everything to do with how we live our lives. I was talking to a candidate in Nebraska who said that great phrase, “You may not care about politics, but politics is caring about you.” Meaning everybody is affected by politics, whether or not they’re engaging it or not.
What do you draw upon to keep you hopeful, to keep you ready to do the work in all the locations of your life?
SARAH TRONE GARRIOTT: So what really helps me to keep going is when I’m out in the community talking to folks face-to-face, I am renewed in my hope for people. I see tremendous folks in my community who are kind, who are caring, who want the best for their neighbors. And I’m reminded that we are not as different and far apart as sometimes we see in the media. And most people want a government that works for them, and they’re willing to put in the work to make it happen. They just need to know how. And so when I show up, I’m encouraged by what I see in my community, but I’m also able to help people become involved.
And that reminds me that it really matters. Putting in the time, going door-to -door, running for office, serving in the way that I do. It’s hard, but it’s important to do it for the people that I serve.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH: Well, Reverend and Senator, thank you so much for being with us today on State of Belief, and best of luck in all of your work.
SARAH TRONE GARRIOTT: Thank you so much, Paul.
