A new lobby recently opened an office near the US Congress, but instead of sporting designer suits, its disciples wear clerical collars: They belong to the religious left and say their top goal is to oust President George. W Bush from the White House.
Ten months before Americans vote in the 2004 presidential election, a group of liberal priests have created the Clergy Leadership Network in a bid to counter the powerful influence of conservative religious groups in the American capital.
The so-called religious right played a key role in Bush's election victory in 2000, and the rise of the religious left suggests issues like gay marriage and abortion could be hotly debated as the presidential campaign gears up.
"Religion has been manipulated by this administration to a new and disguting level," said Brenda Bartella Peterson, a director of the Clergy Leadership Network, in an interview with AFP at her office close to Congress.
"We are a group of clergy that has come together to say things have gone so bad with this administration that we can no longer be silent," she explained.
Peterson expressed frustration with what she described as the Bush administration's "cowboy mentality" and said the lobby is primarily focused on dislodging Bush's grip on the White House.
"Our sole mission is to get a national leadership change," she said.
Bush, a former bible-belt governor of the state of Texas, regularly evokes his religious convictions. He was elected in 2000 with strong support from the religious right, who hailed his platform of compassionate conservatism.
The religious right runs several influential Washington lobby groups including the Christian Coalition of America, the Family Research Council and the Traditional Values Coalition.
Many of these groups are strongly opposed to gay marriage and abortion and actively seek to influence and garner support from powerful lawmakers.
Stirred into action, the Clergy Leadership Network is now also seeking a political voice. Clergy among its ranks support a range of priorities on poverty, public schools, and say they are working to mobilise impoverished citizens to use their votes.
The left-wing clerics hail principally from the protestant community of Christians spread across America's south and central region, the so-called "bible belt." However, its national 28-member committee includes a Catholic, two rabbis and a Muslim.
The potential rise of a religous left does not appear to be unduly worrying those more spiritually aligned with conservative ideology.
"We consider ourselves a group that educates christians on what is going on in the country. So if there is any other group that can do that, we welcome that," said Michelle Ammons, a spokeswoman for the Christian Coalition of America.
"We are not partisan, we educate Christians," Ammons said.
The Clergy Leadership Network acknowledges it's the political novice on the block.
"They (the religious right) function better in the environment of politics," at present, Peterson said.
Certain topics dominated by the religious right like gay marriage and abortion, might be used in a bid to divide the Clergy Leaderhip Network, Peterson thought.
"They speak out very loudly and frequently on these issues," she said.
The clergy leadership forum wrote a letter to Bush in late November urging him not to question his politial opponent's faith in the upcoming campaign.