Are White Evangelicals Taking a Second Look at Kamala Harris?

In our pre-Democratic National Campaign roundup, Claire and Neil focus on the religious vote, and the Christian critique of Tim Walz.

Photo credit: Carmen K. Sisson/Shutterstock

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In this week’s political round-up, Neil and Claire discuss the ramifications of shorter campaign in the future for both political parties and media companies, and the continuing shift of the race towards Democratic candidates just prior to the next week’s convention. We also pause on the continuing bizarre news from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s camp: will Donald J. Trump make a deal with a third party candidate who is on few state ballots?

• A New York Times/Siena poll has put Vice President Kamala Harris ahead by four points in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

• Former Minnesota Governor Jesse “The Body” Ventura has endorsed Harris—says it’s time for a woman president and “we men have screwed it up enough.”

• Here’s the UMass poll Claire discusses.

• The New York Times reports that Nevada’s Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen’s seat, once listed as “lean Republican” by the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, has shifted into the lean Democrat column by 18 points.

• Also from the New York Times: RFK, Jr. has approached both campaigns offering to drop out and endorse in exchange for a cabinet seat.

We then pivot to evaluating the strength of the White Evangelical vote, and whether portions of a constituency Trump has had a lock on for two previous campaign cycles are taking a second look at Democrats. Exploring the history of these voters as Republican activists, we also ask: why do Black Evangelical voters support the Democratic Party in such large numbers, even though the theology is not that different.

• Some White Christians see Vice Presidential candidate Walz as polaring.

• Pew Research has found a massive divide between White and Black Evangelical Christians in their political beliefs.

• More White Americans have embraced the evangelical label during the Trump presidency.

• Some observers doubt that White Evangelicals are still "a monolithic or engaged voting bloc." Recent data says only a third of 25-30 million who are eligible plan to vote.

In their new segment, “Going Viral,” Claire discusses New College of Florida administrators’ decision to send thousands of library books about gender and sexuality to the dump; and Neil discusses where cheap seafood comes from, the human cost, and why fishing is a national security concern.

Some of the books thrown in the dump by the Ron DeSantis cronies who are now in charge at New College of Florida.

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Your hosts:

Claire Potter is a historian of politics and media, a writer, a podcaster, and the sole author and editor of the Political Junkie Substack. Her most recent book is Political Junkies: From Talk Radio to Twitter, How Alternative Media Hooked Us on Politics and Broke Our Democracy (Basic Books, 2020), and she is currently writing a biography of feminist journalist Susan Brownmiller.

Neil J. Young is a historian of religion and politics, a journalist, and a former co-host of the Past Present podcast. His most recent book is Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right (University of Chicago Press, 2024). 

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