Des Moines, Iowa (RI) – State officials have denied the Satanic Temple of Iowa’s request to hold a holiday party in the Iowa Capitol on December 13th.
Adam Steen, a Republican candidate for governor, denied a similar request last year when he was director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services.
Steen held a rally at the Capitol early Monday afternoon that was originally billed as a gathering to challenge Governor Reynolds to issue the denial.
The Satanic Temple of Iowa is suing Steen for rejecting their party plan at the Capitol when he was director of the Department of Administrative Services. The group has said their 2024 celebration would have promoted tolerance and acceptance of diverse religious beliefs.
A year before, in 2023, the group’s display in the Iowa Capitol’s rotunda was vandalized by a Mississippi man who later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation. Steen, as a state agency chief, had approved some holiday displays in the Capitol that year, including the Satanic Temple’s array of candles and a pagan idol.
Steen has called on two other candidates for governor to join him in denouncing what the Satanic Temple had planned to do in the Capitol next month.
A spokesperson for Democrat Rob Sand’s campaign was not immediately available to respond.
Republican Randy Feenstra issued a written statement. Feenstra said as a Christian, he’s grateful to Governor Reynolds for keeping the despicable satanic display out of the Iowa Capitol.
KIWA Staff Photo
