Thousands of church sermon videos featuring Washington state House candidate Katy Cornell have vanished from YouTube and her church’s website in recent months, just as she campaigns for an open seat in one of the state’s last truly competitive legislative districts. The videos, which included Cornell calling abortion murder and a sin even in cases of rape, and her nodding along as her husband described communication with any god other than Jesus Christ as witchcraft, had circulated online before disappearing.
Cornell is a founding pastor at Sozo Church in Belfair, Mason County, and is running for the open Position 2 seat in Washington’s 26th Legislative District, according to The Seattle Times. Her husband, Tom Cornell, who serves as her co-pastor, told the City Quake podcast he personally removed several thousand videos of the couple’s sermons because he worried the recordings would be taken out of context as his wife ran for office. Katy Cornell has not identified which specific videos she believes were mischaracterized.
The footage that did surface was posted to Bluesky by a group opposing Christian nationalism, an ideology that seeks to merge Christianity with American politics. The page’s owner, who said they live in the 26th District, told the Times in an email that they began investigating Cornell’s videos in January and started saving copies once clips bearing her name began disappearing.
Candidate Pushes Back on Christian Nationalism Label
Cornell has denied online accusations that she is a Christian nationalist, telling the Times she does not believe government should establish or enforce Christianity or any other religion, and that she believes in limited government, individual liberty and protecting everyone’s constitutional rights. She describes herself as a common-sense Republican on her campaign website and said she is not running to be anyone’s pastor, pledging to represent every constituent regardless of faith or political views.
On the deleted video addressing abortion, Cornell said her opposition is rooted in her faith but that she would respect the will of the people and the state’s initiative process. Washington voters approved the Reproductive Privacy Act in 1991, adding protections for abortion services that remain in state law today. Cornell told the paper her legislative focus would be supporting women and families, expanding adoption opportunities, helping single mothers, and addressing the circumstances that drive women to consider abortion. On the separate video in which her husband called non-Christian worship witchcraft and she nodded in apparent agreement, Cornell did not respond directly to questions from the Times.
A District Democrats Have Steadily Chipped Away
The 26th District spans the southeastern Kitsap Peninsula and parts of Pierce County, including Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, the Key Peninsula and south Bremerton, and remains one of only two highly competitive swing districts left in the state Legislature, according to Gig Harbor Now. The seat opened up after Republican Representative Michelle Caldier Valdez, who held Position 2 for 12 years, announced in February 2026 she would not seek re-election, per information from the Washington state government. Cornell entered the race with endorsements from Valdez and former 26th District Representative Spencer Hutchins, framing herself as a practical conservative successor, according to her campaign.
The 26th District has also seen state Senate races in recent years. In the August 2026 primary, Cornell took 44.3% of the vote for Position 2.
Democratic Rival Calls Deletions Troublesome
Cornell’s opponent, Renee Hernandez Greenfield, is an instructor at Tacoma Community College, an early childhood education specialist, social worker and tribal member who previously managed Head Start and state early learning programs, according to Key Peninsula News. Greenfield told the Times she found the videos and their deletion troublesome and concerning, adding that the sermons Cornell left online made it hard to imagine how bad the deleted material was. She said legislators are responsible for connecting with all communities in what she described as a diverse and expansive district.
Cornell grew up in Port Orchard, attended high school in South Kitsap, and earned an associate degree from Olympic College, a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northwest University and a master’s degree from Seattle University before spending 13 years as a pastor. In 2009, the Belfair-based Walk In The Light International was founded; the nonprofit has built schools and medical clinics and dug more than 25 clean-water wells serving over 50,000 people in Burkina Faso.
Party Leaders Face Questions Over Vetting
The Pierce County Republican Party and the House Republican Organizational Committee have both endorsed Cornell, with the committee contributing more than $140,000 to her campaign and the county party adding $9,500, per the Times. Dave McMullen, chair of the Pierce County GOP, said he was unaware Cornell had deleted videos but said he is very much in tune with Cornell and knows what she preaches at church. McMullen said he believes her beliefs are similar to those of many other people in the state and that she has no intention of challenging the constitutionality of abortion; he declined to comment on the video concerning non-Christian religions and witchcraft. The House Republican Organizational Committee did not respond to a request for comment about whether it was aware of the deleted videos.
Chris Vance, a former chair of the Washington State Republican Party, described the endorsements as politically inexcusable and said party leaders should have vetted Cornell more carefully. He said party leaders should not have been caught off guard, calling this one of the most important races in the state. Cornell has raised more than $422,000 for her campaign, while Greenfield has raised over $348,000 as both candidates head toward the November general election.
