Texas Pastor Linked to Hegseth Wishes Democrat Dead, Senator Responds With Love

Jesus loves. Christian Nationalism kills," James Talarico wrote on X Tuesday. "You may pray for my death, Pastor, but I still love you. I love you more than you could ever hate me."

Brooks Potteiger, an evangelical pastor described as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's closest spiritual adviser, repeatedly attacked Talarico on the podcast "Reformation Red Pill," which is hosted by Joshua Haymes, a former pastoral intern at Potteiger's church. The episode aired on March 16, 2026. During the 18-minute podcast, titled "James Talarico Believes Christians are Idiots. Is He Right?", the pair ripped into Talarico, a 36-year-old Presbyterian seminarian who defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic Senate primary earlier in the month.

After referring to Talarico as "a wolf," a "demon," and "a snake," Haymes said "first and foremost, we pray that a man like this would be cut to the heart," placing him in the category of "public enemies" who he argued Christians "are not called to love." Haymes continued: "I pray that God kills him. Ultimately, that means killing his heart and raising him up to new life in Christ." Potteiger agreed, adding "We want him crucified with Christ." Haymes then said: "If it would not be within God's will to do so, stop him by any means necessary, oh God."

After the story drew attention, Potteiger said on social media that the reporting was "false" and offered clarifying thoughts on what he meant. Potteiger said he was praying for Talarico's conversion, not his actual death: "I'm praying for their conversion. That the 'old man' would die," and that whoever he prayed this for would be "raised to new life, and given a new heart with new desires." Potteiger also reposted a social media post referencing Galatians 2:20, a Bible passage that refers to the metaphorical death of a person's old self and rebirth into a new spiritual identity, according to The Grace Collective, a fellowship of reformed Evangelical churches.

Potteiger subsequently responded to Talarico's post, saying he did not hate him. "I love you enough to pray for your genuine repentance," Potteiger posted. "And I love those you are leading astray enough to warn them about your Scripture twisting."

Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson also defended Potteiger in a Wednesday statement, saying: "The Fake News Media, and sometimes anti-Christian media, are deliberately twisting the words of Pastor Potteiger in order to attack him and Secretary Hegseth while advancing a partisan narrative."

Potteiger is a pastor at Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, a church in the Nashville area that Hegseth attends. Last August, Hegseth held a Christian religious service at the Pentagon where Potteiger was invited to say a prayer. Hegseth has appeared on at least four episodes of the "Reformation Red Pill" podcast. Haymes, the podcast host, is a previous intern at Potteiger's Pilgrim Hill church.

Talarico, a 36-year-old rising star in the Democratic Party, has clashed with President Donald Trump over his vision of progressive politics rooted in his Christian faith, arguing the religious right has distorted Christianity and emphasizing Jesus' teachings about helping the vulnerable. He told Stephen Colbert on The Late Show: "There is nothing Christian about Christian nationalism. It is the worship of power in the name of Christ, and it is a betrayal of Jesus of Nazareth."

Talarico defeated Jasmine Crockett and Ahmad Hassan in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026. No candidate received a majority in the three-way Republican primary, meaning Sen. John Cornyn is headed to a May 26 runoff against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Texas has not elected a Democrat to a statewide office since 1994.

Trump also weighed in on Truth Social over the weekend, saying Talarico "insults to Jesus" and "may be the worst candidate I have ever seen" next to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Talarico shot back: "You want to know what insults Jesus? Kicking the sick off their healthcare. Bombing school children in Iran. Deporting moms and babies. Covering up the Epstein files."

Requests for comment were not initially returned by the Defense Department, Talarico's campaign, or Potteiger's church, Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship.