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More than 1,600 religious leaders in the United States have publicly endorsed Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate in next month’s presidential election, amid signs that some evangelical voters are backing away from Donald Trump.
Biden’s endorsements come primarily from traditional Catholics, Evangelicals and Protestants. They include Jerushah Duford, granddaughter of Billy Graham; Susan Johnson Cook, former US Ambassador for Religious Freedom; Michael Kinnamon, former secretary general of the National Council of Churches; and Gene Robinson, former bishop of the Episcopal Church.
“This record group of sponsors shows that President Trump’s lack of goodness and decency is energizing religious communities and will cost him this election,” said Doug Pagitt, executive director of the Christian campaign organization Vote Common Good, which compiled the endorsements. .
The organization said the announcement represents the largest group of clergy to endorse a Democratic presidential candidate in modern history.
“Four years ago, many religious voters decided to look the other way and give Trump a chance, but after witnessing his cruelty and corruption, a growing number of them are turning away from the president.”
In the 2016 election, more than 80% of white evangelicals voted for Trump, and many felt that his promise to make conservative and pro-life appointments to the supreme court outweighed concerns about his personal behavior. White evangelicals make up about a quarter of the American electorate.
But some polls have suggested an erosion of support for Trump among white evangelicals. A poll conducted last month on behalf of Vote Common Good in five key states on the battlefield found an 11-point shift among evangelical and Catholic voters toward Biden.
In July, the Public Religion Research Institute found a seven-point drop in white Christian support for Trump, and a Fox News poll in August showed that 28% of white evangelicals backed Biden, compared with 16% who supported Hillary Clinton in 2016.
A group called Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden said that, despite disagreeing with the Democratic candidate’s stance on abortion, “we believe that, overall, Joe Biden’s policies are more consistent with the biblically formed ethic of life. than Donald Trump’s. Therefore … we urge evangelicals to elect Joe Biden as president. “
Biden, a Catholic who has spoken frequently about how his faith has sustained him through tough times, hopes to win over swinging Catholic voters with a series of ads aired in battle states.
Some Catholic bishops have issued statements criticizing Trump’s policies. Last month, more than 150 Catholic theologians, activists and nuns signed an open letter to Catholic voters urging them to oppose Trump, saying he “flouts the core values at the heart of Catholic social teaching.”
In response to Christian leaders’ endorsement of Biden, Josh Dickson, Faith Engagement Director for the Democratic candidate’s campaign, said: “The common good values of the Biden-Harris agenda resonate with faith-motivated voters. We know that Joe Biden and [running mate] Kamala Harris are the clear moral choice in this election. We hope this show of support will encourage other voters of faith to make their values, not party affiliation, their primary voting criteria this year. “
One of those publicly backing Biden, said Ronald Sider, president emeritus of Evangelicals for Social Action.: “I urge everyone, especially evangelicals, to support Joe Biden as president. Poverty, racism, lack of health care and climate change are “pro-life” issues. On those and many other issues, Biden is much closer than Trump than biblical values demand. “
Belinda Bauman, author of Brave Souls: Experiencing the audacious power of empathy, said: “In all my years, I have never publicly endorsed a candidate. But this year is different, very different. This year we are not only facing a political option, we are facing a moral one ”.
