2026-10-12T08:00:17-04:00 / 福克斯新闻频道
艾奥瓦州民主党州长候选人在出席普利茅斯公理会教堂活动期间塑造温和形象
作者：罗伯特·施马德 福克斯新闻
发布于 2026年10月12日 美国东部时间上午8:00
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在这场美国竞争最激烈的州长选举之一中，这位民主党候选人一直在不遗余力地塑造温和形象——但据报道，他所出席的教堂公开支持一些在艾奥瓦州引发选民分裂的进步事业。
据当地记者消息，艾奥瓦州州审计员、民主党州长候选人罗布·桑德截至2025年底经常前往位于州府的普利茅斯联合基督教堂。多年来，普利茅斯教堂主办并推广变装皇后表演，邀请跨性别牧师担任客座牧师，并公开支持堕胎权。
桑德在竞选活动中多次强调自己的信仰，反复提及基督教并引用圣经经文，有时成功吸引了原本倾向保守派的艾奥瓦州选民。除了借助信仰背书外，桑德多次称自己思想独立，声称过去曾投票给共和党人，并表示有时更愿意与共和党人而非民主党人合作，称政党是“毒药”。
“我是基督徒，我是保守派，但我不依附于任何政党。”一位选民在桑德的新闻稿中被引述道，“我更愿意为候选人本身投票，而非政党。对我而言，（桑德）看起来非常诚实、接地气。我对他印象很好。”
艾奥瓦州州长候选人扎克·莱恩称“无情”民主党人正隐瞒其糟糕政策
2026年8月20日，艾奥瓦州卡罗尔，州长候选人罗布·桑德在卡罗尔县环保教室的竞选活动中与选民交谈。（莱昂·尼尔/盖蒂图片社）
然而，桑德被报道的教堂出席情况，将他与一个在宗教和政治立场上都与他在竞选活动中强调的温和形象形成鲜明对比的教会联系在了一起。
桑德所在的教堂毫不掩饰其进步派倾向，其“关于我们”页面上展示了教堂会众参加同性恋骄傲游行的照片，称该教堂不会从字面意义上解读圣经，并表示“30多年来一直是LGBTQ+开放且接纳的会众群体”。
联合基督教堂一份简介中附带的教堂照片显示，该教堂场地悬挂着骄傲旗，简介称其“是该地区的进步派中坚力量”。
桑德竞选团队的一位发言人告诉福克斯新闻数字频道：“罗布·桑德每周都会去教堂，而且是在艾奥瓦州，这一点与扎克·莱恩不同。罗布的信仰对他而言至关重要，和许多人一样，他从未找到过一个能让自己完全认同所有观点的教堂，但他更喜欢带有礼拜仪式和经典圣歌的传统礼拜。罗布一直思想独立，他不会从一个住在堪萨斯州的性玩具销售员那里接受道德说教。”
提到性玩具是在指代FirmTech公司，该公司生产可穿戴性健康设备，共和党州长候选人扎克·莱恩曾是该公司的投资者之一。莱恩坚称，该产品最初是为监测心血管健康而开发的，他在公司转向更具性暗示意味的营销之前就已撤资。
桑德还指出莱恩频繁飞往堪萨斯州的行程，称这暴露了他与自己试图治理的州之间脆弱的联系。而莱恩则表示自己常年居住在艾奥瓦州，解释称这些航班是因为需要往返于两段婚姻所生的子女之间。
当福克斯新闻数字频道询问时，莱恩的竞选团队并未透露他常去哪个教堂。
LGBTQ组织曝光民主党候选人赞助包含变装表演的万圣节活动
2019年10月9日，艾奥瓦州得梅因，艾奥瓦州议会大厦。2020年艾奥瓦州民主党党团会议将于2020年2月3日举行，这将是民主党总统初选的首场提名角逐。（乔·雷德尔/盖蒂图片社）
普利茅斯教堂的进步派声誉实至名归。
根据活动广告信息，2025年5月，普利茅斯教堂为变装皇后“弗莱米·格兰特”举办了一场音乐会，这位艺术家的更多作品包含露骨的性歌词，演出面向进步派的得梅因会众。
在一首名为《给我个机会》的歌曲中（不要与ABBA的同名经典歌曲混淆），格兰特唱道：“我是个有耐心的情人，除非我先完事。如果角色互换，我希望你也能让我尽兴。我对自己的性经历保持神秘。”
在另一首歌中，这位变装皇后抱怨了自己童年时的教堂，称“我想那里的教训是，只有拥有阴道的人向上帝祈祷，上帝才会聆听”。这首歌继续称“暗地里大多数男人都害怕阴道”，并赞扬夏娃违背上帝旨意偷吃禁果。
强大的LGBTQ+组织的背书可能会因激进的青少年跨性别议题损害弱势民主党议员的选情
艾奥瓦州民主党州长候选人罗布·桑德。（罗布·桑德竞选艾奥瓦州州长团队）
大约一年后，普利茅斯教堂在其脸书页面上宣传了附近教堂的一场变装活动，该活动被宣传为“家庭友好型卡拉OK筹款活动”，变装皇后“泰丝·图拉”担任主演。图拉主持一档播客，其中讨论过无保护的同性性行为等话题。
同样，据当地媒体报道，2023年某个周末，普利茅斯教堂邀请跨性别牧师宝拉·斯通·威廉姆斯担任客座牧师。当时，威廉姆斯刚出版了一本名为《作为一名女性：我在变性后关于权力、性与父权制的感悟》的书。
弱势民主党候选人的竞选口号与其在核心文化战争议题上的“激进”投票记录相冲突
2025年10月9日，艾奥瓦州得梅因，从两河公园观景台俯瞰得梅因天际线。（科迪·斯坎兰/《得梅因纪事报》/今日美国网络通过Imagn图片社提供）
普利茅斯教堂的部分亲LGBTQ宣传活动针对儿童群体。
普利茅斯教堂在2025年的一份招聘启事中透露，它与彩虹信仰联盟合作，该组织称“LGBTQ+身份是上帝赋予的，应受到尊重和庆祝”，并表示“以真实的姓名、代词、关系和性别表达充分活出这些身份，并不会成为……信仰社区任何领域参与的障碍”，包括儿童项目和教育领域。
该教堂还提供“完整性生活”课程，这是由一神论普世协会和联合基督教堂联合出版的性教育课程，从一年级开始开设课程，内容涵盖性、人际关系、性别认同和性健康等话题。
与该教堂的神学理念类似，其政治立场也明显偏向自由派。
顶级保守派组织在关键摇摆州展开全面攻势，揭露“令人震惊”的民主党纲领
2026年8月14日，艾奥瓦州得梅因，艾奥瓦州共和党州长候选人扎克·莱恩在艾奥瓦州博览会上与参展者交流。（斯科特·奥尔森/盖蒂图片社）
例如，2025年2月，普利茅斯教堂的牧师们加入了艾奥瓦州议会大厦的抗议活动，据教堂脸书页面的一篇帖子称，他们“为跨性别和性别非二元的朋友与邻居祈祷并挺身而出”。根据另一篇教堂脸书帖子，几年前，教堂领导层曾参加过州议会大厦外的亲LGBTQ集会。
“普利茅斯教堂大胆的社会正义立场是社区的标志性特征，经常被提及为新会众加入会众的原因。”2025年的一份教堂招聘启事中写道，“我们致力于在社区内外推进正义、公平与包容。”
事实上，在最高法院推翻罗伊诉韦德案后，普利茅斯教堂动员起来反对反堕胎立法，支持那些为“生殖医疗保健”而奋斗的人们，并将女性称为“所有有生育潜力的人”。该教堂于2022年5月举行了支持堕胎权的祈祷守夜活动，并于2023年7日在州首府举行集会，抗议限制堕胎的相关法案。
2021年前总统乔·拜登成为首位正式认可跨性别可见日的总统后，普利茅斯教堂效仿他的做法，在2021年至2023年间向其粉丝发送脸书消息，纪念跨性别可见日和跨性别追思日。
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“这些内容令人不安，但这与罗布·桑德的自由派观点完全一致。如果你认为男性可以变性为女性，那有什么能阻止你向学龄儿童传授这种观点？”莱恩竞选团队的一位发言人告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，“价值观至关重要，而罗布的价值观绝非艾奥瓦州的价值观。”
Drag queens, trans pastor, abortion rallies: Inside Dem governor hopeful’s progressive church
2026-10-12T08:00:17-04:00 / Fox News
Iowa’s Democratic governor candidate cultivated a moderate image while attending Plymouth Congregational Church
By Robert Schmad Fox News
Published October 12, 2026 8:00am EDT
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In one of the most hotly contested governor’s races in the country, the Democratic nominee has been working overtime to cultivate a moderate image — while reportedly attending a church that openly embraces some of the progressive causes dividing voters in Iowa.
Rob Sand, Iowa’s state auditor and its Democratic nominee for governor, regularly attended Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, located in the state’s capital, as of late 2025, according to a local journalist. Over the years, Plymouth has hosted and promoted drag queen performances, invited a transgender pastor to serve as a guest pastor and openly supported abortion.
Sand has emphasized his faith on the campaign trail, repeatedly referencing Christianity and quoting scripture, at times successfully appealing to otherwise conservative Iowans. In addition to leaning on his faith, Sand has repeatedly described himself as independently minded, claimed to have voted for Republicans in the past and said that he sometimes prefers working with the GOP over Democrats, calling political parties “poison.”
“I am a Christian. I’m a conservative. But I’m not a party-based person,” one voter is quoted as saying in a Sand press release. “I like to vote for the person as opposed to the party. And to me, (Sand) just seems really honest and down to earth. And I enjoyed him.”
IOWA GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL ZACH LAHN TELLS ‘RUTHLESS’ DEMOCRATS ARE HIDING THEIR BAD POLICIES
Gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand speaks to voters during a campaign visit to the Carroll County Conservation Classroom on Aug. 20, 2026, in Carroll, Iowa.(Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Sand’s reported church attendance, however, connects him to a congregation whose progressive religious and political positions stand in contrast to the moderate image he has emphasized on the campaign trail.
Sand’s church is open about its progressive slant, with its “about” page featuring an image of churchgoers at a gay pride parade, noting that the church does not take the Bible literally and stating that it “has been an LGBTQ+ Open and Affirming congregation for more than 30 years.”
An image of the church included in a profile compiled by the United Church of Christ shows it flying a pride flag on its grounds, noting that the church “is a progressive powerhouse in the region.”
“Rob Sand goes to church weekly and does so in Iowa, unlike Zach Lahn. Rob’s faith is deeply important to him, and like many, he has never found a church where he agrees with everything, but does prefer traditional services with liturgy and classic hymns,” a spokeswoman for his campaign told Fox News Digital. “Rob has always been independent-minded, and he isn’t going to take lessons in morality from a sex toy salesman who lives in Kansas.”
The mention of sex toys was a reference to FirmTech, a company that manufactures wearable sexual wellness devices and once counted GOP gubernatorial nominee Zach Lahn as an investor. Lahn maintains that the product was originally developed to monitor cardiovascular health and that he divested before the company shifted toward more sexually suggestive marketing.
Sand has also pointed to Lahn’s regular flights to Kansas, arguing that they betray tenuous ties to the state he’s seeking to govern. Lahn, meanwhile, says that he lives full-time in Iowa, explaining that the flights are a product of him needing to shuttle children from a previous marriage between the two states.
Lahn’s campaign did not divulge where he attends church when asked by Fox News Digital.
LGBTQ GROUP REVEALS WHICH DEM NOMINEE IS SPONSORING HALLOWEEN EVENT FEATURING DRAG SHOWS
The Iowa State Capitol building is seen on October 9, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa. The 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses will take place on February 3, 2020, making it the first nominating contest in the Democratic Party presidential primaries.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Plymouth’s progressive reputation is well-earned.
In May 2025, Plymouth hosted drag queen “Flamy Grant” for a concert, according to advertisements for the event, bringing an artist whose broader catalog includes sexually explicit lyrics to the progressive Des Moines congregation.
In one song, titled “Take a Chance on Me,” not to be confused with the ABBA classic of the same name, Grant sings, “I’m a patient lover unless I finish first. And I expect you [to] finish me if the roles are reversed. I maintain the mystery of my sexual history.”
In another song, the drag queen complained about his childhood church, stating that “I guess the lesson there was God would only hear a prayer If it came from a person with a c—.” The song continues to state that “secretly most men just fear the snatch” and praises Eve for disobeying God by eating the forbidden fruit.
POWERFUL LGBTQ+ GROUP’S ENDORSEMENTS COULD TANK VULNERABLE DEMS OVER RADICAL YOUTH TRANS AGENDA
Democratic Party candidate for Iowa governor, Rob Sand.(Rob Sand For Iowa)
About a year later, Plymouth promoted a drag event on its Facebook page at a nearby church billed as a “family-friendly karaoke fundraiser” headlined by drag queen “Tess Tura.” Tura hosts a podcast where, among other topics, unprotected gay sex is discussed.
In a similar vein, Plymouth invited transgender pastor Paula Stone Williams to serve as a guest pastor for one weekend in 2023, according to a local media report.At the time, Williams had recently published a book titled “As a Woman: What I learned about power, sex, and the patriarchy after I transitioned.”
VULNERABLE DEM’S CAMPAIGN PITCH CLASHES WITH ‘RADICAL’ VOTING RECORD ON TOP CULTURE WAR ISSUE
The Des Moines skyline is seen from the lookout at Two Rivers Park on Oct. 9, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa.(Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Some of Plymouth’s pro-LGBTQ advocacy is directed at young children.
Plymouth disclosed in a 2025 job posting that it partners with the Rainbow Faith Coalition, a group that says “LGBTQ+ identities are God-given, honored and celebrated,” and that “[f]ully living into these identities in name, pronoun, relationship and gender expression is not a barrier to participation … in any areas of the faith community,” including children’s programming and education.
The church also offers Our Whole Lives programming, a sexuality education curriculum co-published by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ, with classes beginning in first grade that address topics including sexuality, relationships, gender identity and sexual health.
Similar to its theology, the church’s politics are decidedly liberal.
TOP CONSERVATIVE GROUP UNVEILS FULL-COURT PRESS IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE TO EXPOSE ‘SHOCKING’ DEM PLATFORM
Iowa Republican nominee for governor Zach Lahn speaks to fairgoers at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 14, 2026, in Des Moines, Iowa.(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
In February 2025, for example, Plymouth’s pastors joined a protest in Iowa’s statehouse “to pray and stand up for our trans and gender nonconforming friends and neighbors,” per a post on the church’s Facebook page. A few years prior, church leadership participated in a pro-LGBTQ rally outside the statehouse, according to another church Facebook post.
“Plymouth’s bold social justice presence is a hallmark in the community and is often cited as a reason for new members joining the congregation,” a church job posting from 2025 reads. “We are committed to advancing justice, equity, and compassion in and beyond our community.”
Indeed, as the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, Plymouth mobilized to fight against pro-life legislation, supporting those fighting for “reproductive healthcare” and referring to women as “all who hold the potential to bear life.” The church held a prayer vigil in support of abortion in May 2022 and rallied at the state capital in July 2023 to protest against efforts to regulate abortion.
After former President Joe Biden became the first president to formally recognize Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021, Plymouth followed his lead by sending Facebook messages to its followers observing Transgender Day of Visibility and Transgender Day of Remembrance between 2021 and 2023.
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“This is disturbing material, but it’s right in line with Rob Sand’s liberal views. If you believe men can become women, then what’s to stop you from teaching it to schoolchildren?” a spokesperson for the Lahn campaign told Fox News Digital. “Values matter and Rob’s values are NOT Iowa values.”
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