1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I need you to publicly oppose Christian nationalism and defend the separation of church and state. JD Vance's recent trip to Hungary, where he campaigned for Viktor Orbán's reelection and praised their model of governance, shows how dangerous this ideology has become within the Republican Party. Vance stood with Orbán and called their alliance a defense of "Christian civilization and Christian values." He dismissed the European Union's 2022 downgrade of Hungary from a full democracy to an "elective autocracy" as foreign interference. This is an American senator actively promoting an illiberal government that has dismantled democratic institutions in the name of religious nationalism. Christian nationalism is fundamentally incompatible with liberal democracy. It unites fundamentalist evangelicals and integralist Catholics against secular governance, seeking to impose religious doctrine through state power. When political leaders invoke "the God of our fathers" while campaigning for autocrats, they're rejecting the pluralistic foundation of American democracy. I expect you to speak clearly about this threat. Condemn Christian nationalism as incompatible with constitutional governance. Defend secular liberalism and the rights of all Americans regardless of their faith or lack thereof. This isn't about respecting religious practice. It's about preventing theocratic ideology from replacing democratic principles.