Over the past four years, Nebraska State Senator Megan Hunt has been one of the more sensible, progressive voices in her state legislature. The openly atheist lawmaker has called out conservative Christians who rejected comprehensive sex education and helped defeat an extreme abortion ban this past summer.

While her non-theism has caught the attention of plenty of atheists—Hunt is receiving the “Champion of the First Amendment” award from the Freedom From Religion Foundation at their annual convention later this month—she has always maintained that she’s a public servant who happens to be an atheist, not a lawmaker who wants to use her platform to promote her personal views.

She’s now running for re-election for the first time and she spoke with OnlySky about her first term in office, what it’s like to fight Christian nationalism from the front lines, and what she hopes to accomplish in the future. (These statements have been condensed and edited for clarity.) ...