‘Record-breaking group’ of faith leaders endorses Biden

More than 1,600 faith leaders have endorsed Democratic nominee Joe Biden for president as of Friday, including some who could influence evangelical votes, according to a faith voters outreach group.

Vote Common Good, which compiled the endorsements this week, says it is the largest group of clergy to endorse a Democratic candidate for president in modern history.

“This record-breaking group of endorsers shows that President Trump’s lack of kindness and decency is energizing faith communities and will cost him this election,” said Vote Common Good Executive Director Pastor Doug Pagitt.

“Four years ago, many religious voters decided to look the other way and give Trump a chance, but after witnessing his cruelty and corruption, a growing number of them are turning away from the president,” he continued.

The group of endorsements includes prominent evangelical leader Billy Graham’s granddaughter, Jerushah Duford.

Duford, who has name recognition as the granddaughter of the man who globalized the evangelical movement and preached to millions, is part of a group calling themselves Pro-life Evangelicals for Biden that launched last week, according to The Washington Post.

“There are so many evangelicals who are one-issue voters and abortion is their issue. It is an issue that singlehandedly prevents them from voting for Biden,” Duford told the Post. “I want to validate that struggle that people are having who care about pro-life issues.”

Duford has previously criticized evangelical support for President Trump, writing in an op-ed for USA Today that she felt “homeless” in the modern church.

She is also a member of the Lincoln Women, part of the anti-Trump group Lincoln Project.

Other members of the Pro-life Evangelicals for Biden group include John Huffman, former board chairman of Christianity Today magazine, who the Post said plans to vote for a Democratic candidate for the first time this year.

Additional faith leader endorsements for Biden include former U.S. Ambassador for Religious Freedom in the Obama administration Suzan Johnson Cook, former General Secretary of the National Council of Churches Michael Kinnamon and Anna Jane Joyner, who is the daughter of conservative evangelical pastor Rick Joyner.

Trump has enjoyed majority evangelical support throughout his presidency. Eight in 10 self-identified white, evangelical Christians voted for Trump in 2016, according to the Pew Research Center, and Pew also found that 72 percent of white evangelicals say they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as of June this year. 

Meanwhile, a EWTN News-RealClear Opinion poll last month found that Biden holds a 12-point lead over Trump among likely voters who identify as Catholic.