How do the 2024 presidential candidates compare when it comes to religion?

The First Amendment ensures, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...” Additionally, a Pew Research Center (Center bias) survey found that “80% of U.S. adults say religion’s role in American life is shrinking;” however, religious values still naturally shape the foundations of policy-making and the selection of elected leaders. 

Religious voters in particular are now faced with ideological lines to contemplate, such as Vice President Kamala Harris’ pro-abortion stance, as well as former President Donald Trump’s strict immigration stance. 

Voters may also find themselves weighing which should be valued more: candidates’ personal stances or their policies. In a 2023 HarrisX (Center bias) survey, 64% of Republicans said that Trump is a person of faith, most commonly reasoning that he “defends people of faith in the U.S.;” on the other hand, 69% of Democrats said that President Joe Biden is a person of faith and most commonly reasoned that he has a “strong moral compass.” 

So, what are the religious values of the 2024 presidential candidates? How do they compare to policy stances, and how might their juxtaposition with voters’ religious values impact the upcoming election? 

Donald Trump (R) 

Former President Donald Trump grew up as a Protestant. In 2020, he spoke about visiting various churches around the world and attending virtual services during the COVID-19 pandemic; he now identifies as a non-denominational Christian. 

The former president appointed three Supreme Court justices who are Christian. Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), is often recognized by religious people for his “pro-family” stance.

In 2017, Trump signed the Presidential Executive Order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty. Additionally, he claimed to have protected tax exempt status of politically-involved religious organizations by ending the Johnson Amendment; this did not happen during his presidency, though an executive order against the amendment was signed. 

Based on his religious rhetoric, Trump has been accused of being a “white Christian nationalist.” 

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Outlets on the left often slant coverage and criticize Trump for enacting what they call the “Muslim ban” in 2017, due to its restrictions on new migrants from seven majority-muslim countries. The former president responded to criticism by saying the order “is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting. This is not about religion -- this is about terror and keeping our country safe.” The “Muslim ban,” Executive Order 13769, states that its purpose is “to protect the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals admitted to the United States.”

Trump has received criticism for signing Bibles outside of an Alabama church after a 2019 tornado outbreak. Similarly, he sold “God Bless the USA” Bibles in March 2024, stating, “This Bible is a reminder that the biggest thing we have to bring back America and to make America great again is our religion. Religion is so important. It's so missing. But it's going to come back and it's going to come back strong just like our country is going to come back strong.” Critics, including religious leaders, accused the former president of being sacrilegious and using the Bible sales as a means to fundraise expenses of his legal troubles. 

After the assassination attempt against him in July, Trump reportedly spoke about feeling spiritual and his health being a gift from God.

Kamala Harris (D)

Vice President Kamala Harris identifies as a Baptist Christian. She reportedly attended services at both the Baptist Church and Hindu Temple while growing up, due to her parents’ respective values. She has also spoken about participating in Jewish traditions with her husband. Harris has repeatedly said, “Faith is a verb.” She said we “must live it, and show it, in action.”

Harris has been criticized for the juxtaposition of her religious affiliation and policy stances, particularly on diction during an October campaign rally and her opposition to abortion restrictions. 

The vice president was also criticized by some victims of clergy abuse for how she handled their cases while serving as a district attorney in California, and later as the state’s attorney general.

In October, Harris spoke at the Church of Christian Compassion and talked about memories of teachings about “a loving God… who asks us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

Cornel West (Ind.)

Cornel West is a “revolutionary” Christian professor who teaches at Union Theological Seminary as a professor of Religion and Christian Practice. He also teaches Religion at Princeton. 

West often criticizes “moral decrepitude” and what he calls a “spiritual decay” in America, and he has stressed the importance of multiple secular voices being heard. 

At a Yale Political Union debate, West reportedly criticized uniform conclusions on complex issues, challenging attendees to embrace critical thinking about “faith,” “church” and “liberation.”

Chase Oliver (Lib.)

Chase Oliver said in April that “libertarians are extremely principled in defending your faith and your ability to raise your family as you see fit in your own values.” 

In criticizing government agencies, Oliver said that community charity, such as Utah’s church volunteer efforts, is “actually the best way to help those in need.”

Oliver describes himself as having a “deep faith in the gospel,” and he stated, on X in 2023, that “being LGBTQ does not mean you are anti-Christian or oppose religion in general,” highlighting the misconception that members of the LGBTQ+ community and religious values don’t or can’t intersect.

Jill Stein (G)

Jill Stein said she “grew up in a Jewish community attending a reform synagogue,” and has “a lot of respect for many religions and spiritual traditions.” She identifies as Jewish, but does not describe herself as an “actively practicing Jew.”

Despite her affiliations, Stein supports BDS (a movement to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel) “until Israel complies with international law to put an end to decades of violence, illegal occupation, displacement, dispossession, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing.” In May, she referenced her religious background when commenting on the Israel-Hamas War, saying, “We were taught that it is UNACCEPTABLE to either perpetrate or be a bystander to genocide. We must do everything in our power to stop this now.”

This blog was written by Malayna J. Bizier, News Analyst and Social Media Editor (Right bias). It was assisted by Shane Maguire, Content Intern (Left bias). It was reviewed and edited by Evan Wagner, News Editor and Product Manager (Lean Left bias) and Henry A. Brechter, Editor-in-chief (Center bias).

Image credit: here.