Episode two of the Republican National Convention spoke strongly to one of the party’s key constituencies in conservative religious voters.
Guests used language framing President Trump as a preserver of their freedoms, a sudden and “fierce advocate in the White House,” as Cissie Graham Lynch said.
Lynch, granddaughter of the late evangelist Billy Graham, spoke specifically to this notion of Trump-as-protector, which is among the most common pro-Trump arguments. “As Americans, we know that the first line of the First Amendment protects our freedom of religion. But what we often forget the actual words are ‘free exercise’ of religion.” Graham continued, “That means living out our faith in our daily lives — in our schools, at our jobs, and yes, even in the public square.”
Lynch went on to say of Trump, “He appointed judges who respect the First Amendment. He supported religious beliefs in court. He ensured religious ministries would not be forced to violate their beliefs.”
Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee-turned-pro-life activist, also spoke supporting Trump’s Supreme Court picks and heralding his executive actions on abortion, the issue obviously being a social conservative touchstone.
Support for Republicans among conservative religious voters is well established and well known. Democrats generally get less support from that constituency. They did also work for it at their convention, though the similarity stops there.
Democrats’ focused largely on Joe Biden’s Catholic faith, rather than a record of protecting religious freedom, and drew character distinctions between him and Trump. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich referred to Biden as “a man of faith.” Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, who currently holds Biden’s old Senate seat, said Biden’s faith is “strong, and it’s personal and private” and not “a prop or a political tool.” He talked about seeing Biden pray.
Coons also spoke about Biden’s faith driving him to seek a world “with less suffering and more justice,” where “we call out and confront the original sins of this nation.” The convention also included a lengthy response that Biden gave at one of CNN’s town halls about how his faith helped him respond to tragedy. The Democrats’ appeal to religious voters was one that put Biden forth as a sincerely humble and religious man.
The one thing Republicans haven’t said of Trump, at this convention or elsewhere, is that his faith leads him. Trump’s appeal to religious voters will remain steadfast despite that, as they feel he protects their freedoms.
In any case, the two parties have both used their conventions to speak to religious sensibilities, though in completely different ways. Republicans have suggested that their faith compels them to support Trump, while Democrats made the exact opposite argument.
