The FFRF Action Fund names an extremist Republican congressional candidate as its “Theocrat of the Week” for her deplorable social media post in which she shared a video of herself burning a Quran. In the video, she vowed to “stop Islam” and professed that “America is a Christian nation.”
Valentina Gomez, running to represent Texas’ 31st District in 2026, is notorious for her shocking and appalling tactics to gain internet attention. Last week, Gomez took to X to share a video of her setting fire to a Quran with a flamethrower, in which she declared that “your daughters will be raped and your sons beheaded unless we stop Islam once and for all.”
“We’re done turning the other cheek,” continued Gomez. “Remember, David didn’t pray for Goliath. He killed them. America is a Christian nation, so those terrorist Muslims can [expletive] off to any of the 57 Muslim nations. There is only one true God, and that is the God of Israel.”
The video concluded with the campaign tagline, “Powered by Jesus Christ.” X has since removed the video. In the post’s caption, Gomez also pledged to “end islam [sic] in Texas so help me God” and repeated racist vitriol that Muslims are working to “take over” the United States. Her repugnant rhetoric is dehumanizing and is intended to grab attention and cause harm.
This is not new behavior for Gomez. In April, she charged the podium during a Muslim-held event at the Texas Capitol and cried out, “Islam is the religion of rape, incest and pedophilia where they bow down to a stupid rock and a false prophet. I will never let Sharia law take over Texas.” A video of the stunt is pinned to her X account. In December, Gomez posted a video of her performing a mock execution of an immigrant, firing a handgun into the back of a dummy tied to a chair, declaring that there must be “public executions for any illegal that rapes or kills an American.”
When running for Missouri’s secretary of state last year, Gomez similarly used a flamethrower to destroy LGBTQ-plus books and pledged to ban diverse books if elected. Thankfully, Gomez finished sixth out of eight candidates in the GOP primary. As for her election next year, a popular Republican incumbent is running for reelection in the 31st District, making it extremely unlikely she will advance past the Republican primary. The primary is set for March 3 of next year.
Gomez is an obvious grifter trying to appeal to the most extreme factions of the far-right internet. While pushing the myth that the United States is a “Christian nation,” Gomez continually spreads hate-fueled racism and bigotry. She has no place in U.S. politics and should be denounced by the Republican Party. The FFRF Action Fund fully condemns her words and actions.
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.