National Faith & Freedom Coalition CEO Mary Thomas and Wisconsin Faith & Freedom President John Pudner were pictured at the “Heisman Trophy Award” for Catholics. The central award was set up by testimonials from some of the top Catholic donors in the country, including Leonard Leo and Sean Feiler, and featured presentations by former Council to Donald J. Trump, Pudner’s long-time friends Greg Mueller, and Rev. Charles Trullols. The award — often referred to as the Catholic Heisman Trophy — was presented to Frank Hanna.

These past couple of weeks showcased the balance in our outreach efforts as we had great conversations during:

1. Two large events of roughly 1,000 conservative leaders each — an evangelical-focused event with Tim Tebow and this Catholic-focused event honoring Hanna.
   
   
2. Our core team knocked on more than 10,000 doors in August and September, with plans to reach the same number in the coming months.
   
   
3. To address supporters’ questions about collaboration among pro-family groups so as not to duplicate efforts: the Tebow event was organized by a State Policy Network’s state affiliate, the Hanna event by the Catholic Information Center, and today’s 5 pm presentation will be our first joint presentation with the Focus on the Family state affiliate.
   
   

Despite this progress, our central concern remains. While states like Pennsylvania are trending more conservative with voter registration shifts between elections, other states like Wisconsin may be moving in the opposite direction, as hundreds of workers have been employed in 2025 to register and engage left-of-center voters. This raises important questions for our supporters: are pro-family groups coordinating effectively to prepare to keep pace with liberal voter registration efforts? Without a robust, organized effort to mobilize and register tens of thousands of new conservative voters, Wisconsin risks a shift in the electorate before future elections. Funding our dedicated canvassers ensures that our team can continue to reach households across the state, closing the gap and building a reliable voter base for future contests.

Donations to help us register conservative battleground voters are always welcome and needed at https://wisconsinffc.com/donate/. 

The Washington, D.C., event occurred during a broader outreach blitz: our team knocked on 10,000+ doors in the past two months and plans to knock on another 10,000+ in the coming month. Other key events include:

• Another gathering of 1,000 conservative leaders featuring Tim Tebow.
  
  
• A tour of the Kennedy Center including the largest foyer in Washington D.C. with Casey Flores (from Ric Grenell’s team) and Patrick Purtill (Unify.us lobbyist).
  
  
• Two final events: our first joint presentation with the Focus on the Family state affiliate at 5 pm at the American Legion Hall in Sparta, Georgia, and a presentation at the first-ever public hearing on model state legislation (AB 385) on Wednesday at the Wisconsin State Capitol – designed to prevent future organizations from copying ActBlue’s 20-year practice of sending billions in unverified pay card donations to liberal causes and candidates. Pudner will testify, following Wisconsin Faith & Freedom’s submission of federal legislation based on our white paper on ActBlue’s process that resulted in model legislation drafted in Wisconsin.
  
  

Photos, in order:

1. Thomas and Pudner — feature photo as described above (only photo above, all others are below)..
   
   
2. Frank Hanna / John Paul II sketch — this version highlights Hanna, winner of the “New Evangelization Award,” also called the Catholic Heisman Award.
   
   
3. Collage of two photos: John Pudner, Stephen Pudner, Greg and Charmaine Mueller, and then a separate photo of Greg speaking at the event — John and Stephen Pudner are pictured with Greg and Charmaine Mueller. Charmaine Mueller and John Pudner overlapped  as field directors for 1990s Virginia Republican conventions; Charmaine is noted for her leadership in county caucuses and mass meetings.Pudner has said no field director defeated him in more mass meetings and caucuses than Charmaine, and both lived in Spotsylvania County for years with children of both families leading a Catholic babysitting network.Greg is at the podium in the separate photo, as CEO of a 70-person conservative media firm and CIC board member, speaking before testimonials before showing testimonials from major Catholic conservative philanthropists, including Leonard Leo and Sean Feiler, topped off by Hanna speaking about his meetings with Pope John Paul II.
   
   
4. Rev. Charles Trullols — CIC leader, delivering the opening prayer for Congress recently.
   
   
5. Daniel Degner — President of Wisconsin Family Council, Focus on the Family state affiliate, with whom we will have our first joint presentation Sunday, October 5, at 5 pm at the Sparta, WI, American Legion. Degner is one of the best presenters on topics such as voter guides that encourage Christian conservative voters, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court being overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Catholic charities case, what (Wisconsin Governor) Evers v. Marklein means for religious freedom in Wisconsin, conversion therapy, and the 2026 election. Pudner’s presentation at the same First Amendment event Sunday/today aims to complement Degner’s excellent presentation by explaining the Federal Election Commission’s rules allowing endorsements in churches and the ActBlue legislation. Degner built a network of more than 1,000 churches as Church Ambassador for the group before being promoted to President, while Pudner focused on complementing with an extra emphasis on Lutheran and Catholic (including Spanish Speaking) churches.
   
   
6. Kennedy Center foyer — largest foyer in D.C. before a tour with Casey Flores (Kennedy Center officer, Ric Grenell’s team) and Patrick Purtill (Unify.us lobbyist).
   
   
7. Tim Tebow — moments before delivering what Pudner called the most inspirational speech he had ever attended in person, at the State Policy Network state affiliate event in Birmingham.
   
   

AB 385 hearing schedule / bill summary — model state legislation to demonstrate how states can prevent unverified pay card donations; Pudner will testify based on Wisconsin Faith & Freedom’s white paper. The public is welcome to join in person or on line for the committee hearing Wednesday at 11:30 am.