Which candidates and issues matter most to evangelical voters — and it’s not abortion

Former President Donald Trump’s appeal to evangelical voters — “No one will touch the cross of Christ under the Trump administration,” he said at the National Religious Broadcasters Conference in February — is winning converts.

A Christian research group said this week that the former president holds a “big lead” over Vice President Kamala Harris among the powerful voting bloc.

Evangelicals who are “likely voters” support Trump over Harris, 61% to 31%. Another 5% say they are undecided, according to LifeWay Research in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Among Christians who do not hold core evangelical views, Harris leads at 47% to Trump’s 38%.

But when demography comes into the picture that majority is not absolute.

African-American evangelicals support Harris at 76% as their choice, compared to 14% who support Trump. This is reflected in the 77% of white evangelicals who said they were voting for Trump, while 28% of white evangelicals said they were supporting Harris.

Of the registered voters surveyed, nearly 4 in 5, or 79%, said the most important factor in voting for a candidate is his or her ability to improve the economy. This is followed by views on immigration, national security, personal character, positions on abortion, and foreign policy.

But the economy and immigration are more likely to influence an evangelical’s November ballot than personal character or even abortion stances.

Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, said, “When evangelicals can’t find a candidate who exactly matches their views, the largest group prefers the candidate they believe has the best economy.” Has the most potential to improve.”

LifeWay Research stated that differences of opinion between evangelicals and other Christians often center on four key issues. The survey group said that those who believe the Bible is the supreme authority for their beliefs; It is important to encourage non-Christians to trust in Jesus Christ for salvation; Christ’s death on the cross is the only way to remove the penalty of sin; And that only those who trust in Jesus as their Savior receive salvation, they are defined as evangelicals.

Members of many mainline churches, such as the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, generally reject some of those theological positions as “limited” or “fundamentalist”, and Types are not counted as evangelical voters.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is a member of an ELCA congregation, while Harris is affiliated with a Baptist church in San Francisco.

Trump was raised as a Presbyterian, but has recently said that he is now a “non-denominational” Christian.

Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, his running mate, converted to Catholicism in 2019.

The LifeWay Research online survey of 1,200 Americans was conducted Aug. 14 to 30 using a national pre-recruitment panel, the group said. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.3 points. The survey did not sample opinions of the vice-presidential candidates.

Campaigns of both parties have formed committees to unite religious communities behind their candidates.

Trump’s campaign has tapped Ben Carson, a conservative Christian author and Housing Secretary in the 45th president’s administration, to rally religious voters.

For Harris, the Rev. Jane Butler, a liberal Presbyterian Church (USA) minister who led the Obama administration’s work with faith groups, leads the religious-turnout effort.