MAGA pastor who thinks Satanic forces run 'Austin swamp' handed major election role

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sparked alarm with his appointment of a far-right Christian nationalist to advise him on election integrity.

Abbott tapped Nate Schatzline, a two-term Texas House member and Fort Worth pastor, for a senior advisory role overseeing election policy, reported Texas Monthly. Schatzline resigned his House seat for the $275,000-a-year gig, where personnel records show he's tasked with "providing policy and strategic direction related to legislative and electoral matters."

Schatzline is a Christian nationalist, a fringe belief that America was founded as a nation for Christians and all human law, including the Constitution, is subservient to Biblical law.

He believes, among other things, that politics, and in particular defeating the Democratic Party, is a spiritual battle against Satanic forces, telling a reporter in 2025, “We really believe this is a spiritual battle. There are powers of darkness that I really believe control the Austin swamp, and I believe that those powers are at work today ... We’re talking about spiritual forces. We’re not talking about flesh and blood. We’re talking about principalities.”

Additionally, Schatzline has spent years pushing debunked "Stop the Steal" claims about the 2020 election and previously proposed bills that would have further restricted voting access in Texas.

Schatzline's ties run through Mercy Culture Church, a politically active Fort Worth congregation connected to the New Apostolic Reformation, a charismatic religious movement whose preachers played roles in mobilizing crowds ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He also spent months as senior director for pastoral engagement at the National Faith Advisory Board, a group founded by televangelist and Trump spiritual adviser Paula White-Cain that connects the White House with conservative Christian leaders.

Texas faces some marquee elections in the 2026 midterms. In addition to the battle over a congressional map Texas lawmakers aggressively redrew to try to add extra Republican seats, Abbott himself faces re-election, while state Attorney General Ken Paxton faces off against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico for the Senate seat.