Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has raised alarms about a potential voter crisis for Donald Trump, particularly among born-again and mainline Christians. He highlighted that around 41 million born-again Christians and 32 million mainline Christians are currently opting out of voting in the upcoming election, calling it a “five-alarm fire” for Trump’s campaign.
Kirk urged Christian leaders to engage their congregations, stating, “The local church must be activated to explain why voting is critical.” He emphasized the need for churchgoers to support Trump at the ballot box if they want a more Christian influence in the White House.
Trump has long sought the backing of white conservative evangelicals, recently promoting Trump-themed Bibles and celebrating the overturning of Roe v. Wade as he encourages Christian support.
In the 2020 election, approximately 80% of white evangelical voters cast their ballots for Trump. However, an emerging issue is a decline in support from evangelical pastors. A new Lifeway Research poll indicates that only 61% of these pastors now support him, a drop from 68% in 2020.
Trump’s support among Christian communities is further challenged by his changing views on abortion. He has suggested that the issue is diminishing in electoral significance and recently criticized Florida’s six-week abortion ban, calling it “too short.” This statement drew backlash from anti-abortion advocates, damaging his standing among them.
Despite attempting to clarify his stance, the perception of inconsistency led figures like Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler to warn that some conservative Christian voters might stay home or rethink their voting choices in November.
Meanwhile, initiatives such as Evangelicals for Harris are trying to engage disillusioned evangelical voters who are uncertain about supporting Trump but reluctant to back a Democrat. Rev. Jim Ball, leading the effort, aims to mobilize these voters in swing states.