Donald Trump's swipe at Dr. Ben Carson's religion is turning heads in Davenport.
"I'm Presbyterian. That's down the middle of the road in all fairness," Trump said in Florida on Saturday. "I mean, Seventh Day Adventists, I don't know about. I just don't know about."
Dr. Carson, who is a Seventh Day Adventist, also happens to be pulling ahead of Trump in recent polls.
"Can people listen carefully to what people are saying?" Dr. Carson asked during a May stop in Davenport."
"Religion always shapes a person's character," said Pastor Eddie Cabrera, Davenport Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Trump's comment is stirring misperceptions about this Bible-believing, Protestant faith.
"People get turned off when things turn negative," said Pastor Cabrera. "We should have that reaction. That's just the moral reality for us."
Trump's comment appears to be backfiring in Iowa, where his support is declining.
Inside the Unitarian Church in Davenport, there's sadness that a candidate is trying to denigrate another candidate's religion.
"I think there are still some taboos that people still try to invoke to scare people, where there is no reason to be scared," said Rev. Jay Wolin.
While both Unitarians and Seventh Day Adventists are careful to separate church and state, Pastor Cabrera is proud that Carson is in the race.
"It makes us feel good that Dr. Carson is running for president because he is a man of integrity," he said.
Still, he makes it clear that it's up to each voter to decide.
"People just need to make a choice," he concluded. "Everybody has the opportunity to be informed, to decide and to vote."
In this case, a tough mix of politics and religion as the Republican race revs up in Iowa.