How Kamala Harris Could Be the One to 'Break the Back of the MAGA Movement,' According to Pastor

Voters who identify as evangelical Christians have long supported Donald Trump, as reported by the Associated Press. But times are changing now, and in a recent MSNBC piece, How I've been convincing Christians they don't have to vote Republican, Pastor Doug Pagitt outlined how Kamala Harris may secure evangelical support and 'break the back of the MAGA movement.'

In his op-ed, Pagitt argued that Harris may get more evangelical support than any candidate since Jimmy Carter, who received almost half of the evangelical vote in 1976, for president. Some evangelical supporters, according to the pastor, are becoming more disillusioned with Trump's actions and ideas. According to a 2020 survey commissioned by Vote Common Good, Trump's coldness was turning off Catholic and evangelical voters in crucial states in sufficient numbers to impact the election's result.

Pagitt argued that most voters were self-aware enough to know that their vote counts. Many religious voters allegedly switched sides over the state of democracy in the US and Trump's allegedly poor treatment of migrant children, women, the press, and those who resigned from his administration. Even a little shift in evangelical support, according to Pagitt, might be the deciding factor in places with tight races.

As an illustration of what is achievable, he cited Kent County, Michigan, which is home to numerous Christian colleges. The county went from supporting Trump by 3 points in 2016 to supporting Biden by 6 points in 2020, a 9-point swing, after an intense outreach effort by Vote Common Good in 2020. Pagitt also stated that aggressively courting the Christian vote requires more effort. He went on to advise that Democrats in general should accept the notion that winning over evangelicals—particularly White male evangelicals—is worthwhile and possible without betraying party principles.

This follows reports that since Harris' campaign began in July, she has received enormous sums of money via identity-based organizing calls, such as those hosted by 'Win With Black Women' and 'White Dudes for Harris.' Another organization is planning a call to win over evangelicals— the group Evangelicals for Harris (formerly called Evangelicals for Biden) is reaching out to Christians who had formerly supported Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

While Joe Biden was still the contender, a Pew Research survey conducted in April found that the majority of Black Protestants and White non-evangelical Protestants supported a Democrat. Now, the fact that Harris is a Black woman who calls herself a Baptist has only served to heighten the enthusiasm among believers of all stripes. A 'Win With the Black Church Kick-Off Organizing Call' event was held by the Black Church PAC, which gathered over 16,000 signatures on petitions urging lawmakers to back Harris, according to Religion News Service.

The National Catholic Reporter also stated that young Catholics are showing more interest in the race and are leaning toward Harris. As the candidate, Biden had the backing of several Catholics because of his religion. Harris' religious connection is less of an inspiration to these newly engaged Catholic voters than her positions on social justice concerns.