Trump allies see a mounting threat: Biden's rising evangelical support

[brooklynite]

Politico

It was June 10, 2008. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama had gathered with dozens of evangelical leaders — many of them fixtures of the religious right — at the urging of campaign aides. If he could offer genuine glimpses of his own abiding faith, they insisted he could chisel away at the conservative Christian voting bloc.

At a rally in the Bible Belt, he talked about the church he’d attended for two decades in Chicago. Calling for an “all-hands-on-deck approach” to tackle poverty, he promised churches and religious organizations would play a greater public role in delivering social services under his administration. And during a faith-based forum in Southern California, he said his own support for Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision on abortion rights, did not mean he wasn’t interested in reducing abortion in America.

The strategy worked. Obama’s campaign stops at churches, sermon-like speeches and his professed belief in Jesus Christ earned him 24 percent of the white evangelical vote — doubling Democrats’ support among young white evangelicals and gaining three points with the overall demographic from the 2004 election.

Now, allies of President Donald Trump worry his 2020 opponent, Joe Biden, can do the same — snatching a slice of a critical voting bloc from Trump when he can least afford departures from his base.

[mucifer]

1. that's why trump is still trying to take away Trans rights despite the scotus decision

he's fighting for the evangelicals

[FloridaBlues]

2. I bet Biden takes a good percentage of catholic voters away from Trump

[sunonmars]

8. He will.

[idziak4ever1234]

3. As little as I like Evangelicals,

Some can clearly see that he does not live the life of one who is following Jesus.

[gratuitous]

4. Some of them are probably cheesed off about the Bible-holding vanity op

I think it's a good gambit for Biden to try to peel off a few points of Trump's evangelical support. While my sense is that evangelicals are one-issue voters (not necessarily the same one issue), it shouldn't be too hard to point out that the Trump administration hasn't granted their fondest wishes, whether it's outlawing abortion or kicking the gays or even inspiring more religious fervor. Not that Biden is going to do anything they want in those areas, but since Trump isn't doing what evangelicals want what else do they want out of a president? Trump's not going to fare too well in that mental exercise, either.

[Newest Reality]

5. Now that's the strategy!

You open a very big umbrella of democracy and invite your allies from all walks of life to come under it and unify those who are willing to come together and build a stronger nation from our diversity rather than slowly destroy it by exaggerating separation and divisive conflict. Our house stands or falls on that understanding.

That's what democracy means to me. That is also evident by contrast with the prejudice and divisiveness of the GOP brand of disenfranchisement for the sake of their own wealth and power. Enough of that already. It leads to tyranny, dictatorship and great loss and suffering for our people.

[LizBeth]

6. Biden getting the rw women and now evangicals. Delish...

[sunonmars]

7. About 33 million Americans 10.1% of the total population self-identified as being of Irish descent

Biden needs to play up his irish roots bigtime also, that is a big big community.

The states with the top percentages of Irish:

Massachusetts Massachusetts (22.5%)
New Hampshire New Hampshire (20.5%)
Rhode Island Rhode Island (18.4%)
Maine Maine (18.0%)
Vermont Vermont (18.0%)
Delaware Delaware (16.7%)
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (16.6%)
Connecticut Connecticut (16.6%)
New Jersey New Jersey (15.9%)
West Virginia West Virginia (14.8%)
Montana Montana (14.8%)
Iowa Iowa (13.6%)
Ohio Ohio (13.5%)
Nebraska Nebraska (13.4%)
Wyoming Wyoming (13.3%)
Missouri Missouri (13.2%)
New York (state) New York (12.9%)
Kansas Kansas (12.4%)
Illinois Illinois (12.2%)
Colorado Colorado (12.2%)
Kentucky Kentucky (12.2%)
Oregon Oregon (12.1%)
Maryland Maryland (11.7%)
Indiana Indiana (11.6%)
Oklahoma Oklahoma (11.5%)
Washington (state) Washington (11.4%)
Minnesota Minnesota (11.2%)
Michigan Michigan (11.0%)
Wisconsin Wisconsin (11.0%)
Nevada Nevada (10.9%)
Alaska Alaska (10.8%)
Arkansas Arkansas (10.7%)
Tennessee Tennessee (10.6%)
South Dakota South Dakota (10.4%)
Florida Florida (10.3%)
Arizona Arizona (10.2%)
Idaho Idaho (10.0%)