Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s campaign announced Thursday it hired a faith outreach director for South Carolina.
Michael McClain, a longtime pastor of Liberty Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Catawba, South Carolina, has also directed outreach for the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, an alliance of religious organizations committed to environmental stewardship.
As faith outreach director, McClain will develop and oversee relationships between the campaign and religious communities, which in the state are primarily Christian congregations headed by a pastor.
McClain took over the position earlier this month and has been visiting religious communities across the state. He believes Biden’s Catholicism meshes well with the Christian faith of many African Americans in the state, who are a crucial voting bloc in the early primary state.
Almost 80% of South Carolinians identify as Christian, of which a large portion are part of historically black Protestant churches. Early polls show Biden performing well among black voters in South Carolina, especially compared with rivals such as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
“He is talking to people who have faith in the same God that he does … they’re talking about taking care of the least of these. You look out for your brother. Always trying to help someone, not condemn someone, not beat someone down,” said McClain.
Other Democratic candidates have made faith outreach a part of their campaigns.
Buttigieg recently became the first candidate to hire a national faith outreach director. In July, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker’s campaign brought on a South Carolina-focused faith outreach director.
