(RNS) — If somebody had requested Matthew Dowd on Jan. 1 whether or not he’d be operating for public workplace in Texas, he would have laughed.
However then, mentioned the veteran political strategist and pundit, got here the Jan. 6 riot.
“I assumed it was the worst menace to our democracy because the opening shot of the Civil Conflict,” Dowd mentioned.
On Sept. 29, the previous marketing campaign aide for George W. Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger and onetime ABC pundit introduced on Twitter that he was operating for lieutenant governor as a Democrat. If he will get previous a main this spring, he’ll tackle incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Dowd, who was Roman Catholic however now attends a nondenominational church, mentioned he did plenty of meditating and praying earlier than selecting to topic himself to the pains of waging his first marketing campaign as a candidate. “It was a call primarily based in big half alone religion.”
That religion, Dowd mentioned, has led him to root his marketing campaign in a perception that reality can overcome lies, love overcome hate, and good can overcome evil in a turbulent second in historical past. “If we step up, it could possibly occur. I hope that I and others have the braveness and energy to do what is critical on this time.”
Dowd’s embrace of a problem greater than oneself is as a lot a political guess in his state as it’s a non secular odyssey. Rated as one of many most partisan states within the nation, Texas has a report of electing politicians who aren’t susceptible to compromise. Will Dowd’s Christian credentials and openness to working throughout religion strains attraction to voters delay by common and predictable hostilities amongst lawmakers?
The final Democrat to win statewide was Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock. That was in 1994.
(Whereas two journalists don’t a pattern make, New York Occasions fixture Nicholas Kristof, identified for his faith-inquisitive columns, introduced not too long ago that he’s additionally leaving his submit, to run for governor of Oregon. )
“Frequent Sense. Frequent Decency. For the Frequent Good” is Dowd’s marketing campaign slogan. He’s , he mentioned, in nurturing hope and discovering a means for everybody to take part in making a brighter future.
Matthew Dowd poses by the Blanco River in Wimberley, Texas. Courtesy photograph
His studying of the Gospels tells him that the means matter greater than focusing like a laser on the tip consequence. “Let go of the dominion of God, of the afterlife, let go of all that,” he informed Faith Information Service. “Do what is critical within the second, in a loving and sort means, and the dominion of God will maintain itself.
“I’m simply going to be who I’m, converse from my coronary heart and soul,” mentioned Dowd. “Nonetheless, the universe responds to that, I belief in God. I’ve been blessed in my life. I simply felt a name to do extra in the intervening time. That comes largely from my religion.”
Dowd’s emphasis on religion, broadly construed, will come as no shock to the candidate’s nationwide viewers. He’s already identified for tweeting out poetry, Scripture and different inspirational content material to his greater than 250,000 Twitter followers. Within the Trump period, he mentioned, he “incubated, in my social media, a bunch of oldsters which have comparable ideas about how we embrace kindness, but in addition energy, find out how to push again in a means that isn’t merciless or imply.”
Today Dowd’s feed has crammed up with feedback on native and nationwide points, resembling paid household go away and gun violence, in addition to direct challenges to Patrick.
However Dowd’s newest e book, “Revelations on the River: Therapeutic a Nation, Therapeutic Ourselves” — his third — doesn’t shy from troublesome questions of religion. Why, he asks,
would one settle for solely revelation or epiphany that got here just a few thousand years in the past within the type of an impressed Bible (Previous and New Testaments) to 1 tribe, at one time, and in a technique? Wouldn’t God (or no matter identify you give the divine) wish to reveal truths at many instances in divergent methods and religion traditions? Isn’t the act of creation revelation in itself, and the great thing about our world a continuing type of epiphany?
Dowd’s willingness to talk plainly about his beliefs is a rising pattern amongst even the bluest Democrats, mentioned Lerone Martin, a professor of faith and politics and director of the American Tradition Middle at Washington College.
“We’re more and more discovering that (Democrats) speaking about their religion, and the way their religion results in very totally different coverage conclusions,” mentioned Martin, citing Speaker of the Home Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, a member of a Nationwide Baptist Church; and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who identifies as a Methodist.
Whereas areas of America, just like the coasts, are certainly rising extra secular, Martin mentioned, spiritual beliefs nonetheless matter, notably within the South, the Southwest and many of the Midwest. “Folks wish to know what church you go to. They wish to understand how your religion shapes your worldview.”
Matthew Dowd participates in a panel at South By Southwest in March 2017. Picture courtesy of Wikipedia/Artistic Commons
Dowd mentioned he owes his religion to the books and affect of the late Rev. Thomas Keating, a Trappist monk, who helped him hone his early morning observe of centering prayer, and for a lot of Dowd’s life he was a “common churchgoing Catholic.” However since he started his stroll away from Republicanism, he has investigated the considered Buddhism and the nonviolent spirituality of Mahatma Gandhi and has hung out in India strolling in these leaders’ footsteps.
His non secular politics could also be greatest expressed by his selection of church. When he moved to Wimberley, Texas, southwest of Austin, the cradle Catholic opted to attend the interdenominational Wimberley Chapel within the Hills.
The church’s mission assertion could possibly be a industrial for Dowd’s marketing campaign. It was based in 1949 by laypeople of many denominations, mentioned its present pastor, Jim Denham. “The first purpose for beginning this church was fellowship. Let’s be right here locally, take pleasure in one another, and we do the necessities of religion.”
When somebody needs to hitch, Denham mentioned, he tells them two issues: Due to the mixing of denominations discovered within the pews, it’s vital to take care of concord. “We are able to’t be moving into an argument about one approach to do sure issues.”
Secondly: “Depart politics within the car parking zone,” mentioned Denham, who mentioned that he works exhausting to maintain his political views personal.
Although Denham mentioned that he wasn’t positive how, or if, having a high-profile candidate within the church would have an effect on the congregation, he described Dowd as an “trustworthy and first rate man. We want extra of these individuals. In studying his e book ‘A New Manner,’ I grew to have a deeper understanding of him politically and appreciated his non secular journey. It confirmed a lot integrity.”
Some political analysts say Texas is slowly trending blue, giving Democrats an even bigger likelihood at future success, despite Republican management of the redistricting course of.
“Texas is an attention-grabbing state, the place politics and ideologies are shifting,” mentioned Dartmouth Faculty authorities professor Mia Costa. Voters do care about points and coverage, she mentioned, however “additionally they need, more and more, somebody that they will really feel linked to in a private sense. Perhaps that’s why additionally expertise, credentials, being a longtime profession politician is changing into much less and fewer vital.”
However Texas just isn’t blue but. Can a Democrat discover the correct mix of interfaith values voters to get excessive?