Which candidate and which issues are top of mind for evangelical voters – and it’s not about abortion

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

A Christian research group said this week that the ex-Prez has “a significant lead” over Vice President Kamala Harris in the powerful voting bloc.

Evangelicals who are “likely voters” prefer Trump to 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 is up 47% to Trump’s 38%.

But this majority is not absolute when demographics come into play.

76% of African American evangelicals support Harris as their choice, while 14% support Trump. This is reflected in 77% of white evangelicals saying they would vote for Trump, while 28% of white evangelicals said they would support Harris.

Of registered voters surveyed, about 4 in 5, or 79%, said the most important factor in choosing a candidate was their ability to improve the economy. This is followed by immigration, national security, personal character, stance on abortion and views on foreign policy.

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

“When evangelicals cannot find a candidate who closely fits their views, the largest group will favor the candidate they believe has the greatest potential to improve the economy,” said Scott McConnell, managing director of Lifeway Research.

According to Lifeway Research, differences between evangelicals and other Christians often center on four key themes. The survey group said those who believe the Bible is the ultimate 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 to 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 avoid some of these theological positions as “restrictive” or “fundamentalist” and are therefore not counted among evangelicals voters.

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

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

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

Lifeway Research’s online survey of 1,200 Americans was conducted Aug. 14-30 using a pre-recruited national panel, the group said. The error rate was plus/minus 3.3 points. The survey did not collect the opinions of the vice presidential candidates.

Both parties’ campaigns have formed committees to rally faith communities behind their candidates.

Trump’s campaign tapped Ben Carson, a conservative Christian author and housing secretary in the 45th president’s administration, to appeal to religious voters.

For Harris, liberal Presbyterian Church (USA) minister Rev. Jen Butler, who led the Obama administration’s work with faith groups, is leading the push by religious voters.