What candidate and issues are tops for evangelical voters — and it’s not abortion

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

A Christian research group said this week the ex-prez “holds a sizable lead” over Vice President Kamala Harris among the powerful voting bloc. 

Evangelicals who are “likely voters” favor Trump over Harris 61% to 31%. Another 5% say they’re undecided, according to Lifeway Research in Brentwood, Tenn.

Among those Christians who do not hold core evangelical views, Harris is up 47% to Trump’s 38%.

But that majority is not absolute when demographics enter the picture.

African-American evangelicals are 76% behind Harris as their choice versus 14% who back Trump. That’s mirrored by 77% of white evangelicals who said they’re voting for Trump, while 28% of white evangelicals said they’re supporting Harris. 

Among the registered voters surveyed, roughly 4 out of 5, or 79%, said the most important factor in voting for a candidate is their ability to improve the economy. That’s followed by immigration, national security, personal character, position on abortion and views on foreign policy.

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

“When evangelicals don’t find a candidate that fits their views exactly, the largest group gives preference to the candidate they believe has the most ability to improve the economy,” Lifeway Research executive director Scott McConnell said. 

The differences between evangelicals and other Christians often center around four key issues, Lifeway Research said. The survey group said those who believe the Bible is the highest authority for their beliefs; that it is important to encourage non-Christians to trust in Christ for salvation; that Christ’s death on the cross is the only way to remove the penalty of sin; and that only those who trust in Jesus alone as their savior receive salvation 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 eschew some of those theological positions as “limiting” or “fundamentalist,” and thus aren’t counted as evangelical voters. 

Democratic VP nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is a member of an ELCA congregation, while Harris is affiliated with a Baptist church in San Francisco.

Trump was raised a Presbyterian but has more recently said he’s now a “non-denominational” Christian.

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, his running mate, is a 2019 convert to Catholicism.

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

Both party’s campaigns have formed committees to rally faith 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, liberal Presbyterian Church (USA) minister Rev. Jen Butler, who led the Obama administration’s work with faith groups, leads the religious-voter push.