Jenny L. Davis is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and a Professor of American Indian Studies and Anthropology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests sit at the intersections of Indigenous language futurism (including language reclamation & revitalization), Queer Indigenous Studies and speculative fiction and poetry.

Ali Bhutto is an artist and drag performer (Faluda Islam) who works on queer Muslim futurism. You can reach Bhutto through the contact form on the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Official Website.

In this guide, we provide background, tips and suggestions, newswriting for context and experts and sources for you to turn to as you ramp up your coverage of religion and the 2026 midterms.

Jamie Lee Finch describes herself as a “medicine woman for modernity,” helping humans reconnect with their bodies and the world around them through medication, retreats, bodywork and workshops.

Cole Arthur Riley is a writer from Pittsburgh, creator of Black Liturgies and author of This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us, exploring Black spirituality, contemplative practice and Gen Z life.

Springtide Research Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that studies the lives, beliefs, and identities of young people ages 13 to 25. Through surveys and interviews, the institute explores how youth navigate mental health, spirituality and society, providing data to educators, faith leaders and organizations.

Kaitlyn Schiess is an evangelical theologian and writer focusing on political theology, church life and generational shifts within American Christianity. She is the author of The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture has been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here (Brazos Press, 2023) and The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual […]

Celene Ibrahim is an expert in Islamic studies with a focus on gender, family and ethics in Muslim communities, especially in the American context. Her work helps explain lived Muslim experiences and intra-faith diversity. She is the author of  Women and Gender in the Qur’an (Oxford University Press, 2020). Ibrahim is also the author of the […]

Brook Wilensky-Lanford is a religion writer, editor, and teacher. She is the author of A God-Shaped Nation: Five Hundred Years of Religion in America, forthcoming in June 2026 and Paradise Lust: Searching for the Garden of Eden. Media inquiries should be directed to Deb Seager, Director of Publicity, Grove Atlantic.