Bishop Mariann Budde, in new election ad, urges people to vote

Two advocacy groups released a political advertisement on Monday featuring the Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, urging viewers to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. The advertisement, which was posted to YouTube and is scheduled to run in at least four states, uses footage from Budde's January 2025 sermon at the Washington National Cathedral.

In that sermon, delivered the day after Donald Trump's inauguration, Budde asked the president to show mercy to immigrant children and their families. The new advertisement combines clips of that sermon with footage of masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Budde appears directly in front of the camera to ask for courage to love neighbors, respect human dignity, and participate in voting.

Budde recently announced her intention to resign from her position as the bishop of Washington.