The FFRF Action Fund’s “Theocrat of the Week” is Adam Steen for labeling himself “the faith guy” and bragging about his discrimination against The Satanic Temple.
Last week, Steen, former director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, kicked off his gubernatorial campaign at an event hosted at the Berean Church in Pleasant Hill, Iowa. He branded himself as “the faith guy” in hopes of succeeding Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has announced that she would not run for reelection. The event reportedly opened with a performance from a worship band and an introduction from a local pastor.
Steen described himself to the crowd: “Let me tell you, from my own lips, who I am: I am the faith guy. I’m a Jesus guy. I’m a Make America Great Again guy. I’m a common-sense policy, America first, People First guy.”
During his campaign event, Steen proudly detailed his commitment to faith while serving in the state government, boasting that the Department of Administrative Services, under his guidance, had canceled a Satanic Temple of Iowa holiday event at the state Capitol in December. Steen claimed that the Satanic Temple’s celebration was shut down because it included “elements that are harmful to minors.”
Steen told the crowd that he was “the guy that stood in front of the satanists when they blatantly targeted our children, and I’m the guy getting sued by the satanists for protecting our children.” The Satanic Temple of Iowa filed a complaint in June, accusing state officials of religiously discriminating against the group. Steen is named in the complaint.
He also detailed another event request he denied while leading the Department of Administrative Services, which was regarding an all-ages, family-friendly drag show. Steen said that refusing the request was the right thing to do, even with the risk of being sued. His campaign website claims that he has been “on the frontlines,” working to “[protect] kids from harmful agendas.”
After the campaign event, Steen told reporters, “I studied my faith, became a pastor. I studied the Constitution, started teaching classes here at this church. I studied the history of the country, started teaching classes on American heritage here at the church, and I trusted in the Lord to open doors and shut doors and it’s moved me through a career that hindsight looking back is a straight line and makes perfect sense to where I’m standing here today.”
Steen was appointed Department of Administrative Services director in 2021 during Reynolds’ administration. He claims to have initiated some of the major policies reshaping the Iowa state government. Steen is the fifth Republican candidate to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race alongside two Democrats.
FFRF Action Fund asserts that religious discrimination is not something to boast about or to base your political campaign on. Steen framing himself as “the faith guy” and celebrating his discrimination against The Satanic Temple during his campaign kickoff event infringes on true religious liberty and dangerously intertwines religion and the Iowa state government.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.