The Evangelicals for Harris group released its first ad Wednesday in support of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, kicking off an effort to woo voters away from Republican nominee Donald Trump by appealing to their religious convictions.
The 30-second video begins with a clip of famous evangelist Billy Graham giving a sermon, and asking, “Have you been to the cross and said, ‘Lord, I have sinned’?”
The ad then cuts to Republican pollster Frank Luntz interviewing Donald Trump and asking him whether he has ever asked God for forgiveness.
“That’s a tough question,” Trump responds, mugging to the audience. “I’m not sure I have … I don’t bring God into that picture. I don’t.”
The ending title card asks, “Is there any greater denial of Christ … than to say ‘I do not need His forgiveness?’’
It is a simple message, but a fundamental one for Christians. The belief that a day of judgment is coming and believers must atone to Jesus Christ for salvation is crucial to Christianity.
The Evangelicals for Harris effort aims to highlight Harris’ faith and the Biden-Harris administration’s family-first policies, in contrast with the previous Trump administration’s policies that favor billionaires and hurt everyday Americans.
The overwhelming majority of white evangelical Christians voted for Trump in the last two election cycles. They will likely flock to Trump again in November as morally hypocritical figureheads like Jerry Falwell Jr. and quasi-religious groups like Moms 4 Liberty continue to throw their support behind the MAGA ticket.
But the Evangelicals for Harris group isn’t trying to win over all evangelical Christians—just enough to shift the margins in what will likely be a close election. It is a similar principle to the “lose less” approach that grassroots progressives have been utilizing in rural communities over the past few years.
The group boasts that “over 200,000 Evangelical Christians” have signed a pledge to choose “unity and compassion in 2024” by supporting the Harris ticket. The group’s social media account tweeted that more than 1,100 participants have signed up for an Evangelicals for Harris Zoom call scheduled for Wednesday night.
On the other side is Trump, who will occasionally throw some red meat to his evangelical base in the form of all-caps declarations that the Ten Commandments should be posted in public school classrooms. Maybe the next Evangelicals for Harris commercial could break down how many of those commandments Trump has broken.
Donate now to help Kamala Harris win in November, and build a better America for families.
