Guide To The Presidential Candidates: What They Say About Faith
The United States will hold a presidential election on Nov. 5. It will mark the 60th presidential election in American history and the first after the reallocation of electoral college votes since 2020.
Both President Joe Biden and his Republican challenger Donald Trump became their party’s presumptive nominees on March 12 following a short primary season.
Biden, however, dropped out of the race on July 21 ahead of the Democratic National Convention. As a result, the party nominated his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
While early voting has begun in various states across the country, the Trump-Harris race, according to polls, remains very close. You can check the latest polls here.
Nearly all U.S. adults say it is important to have a president who lives a moral and ethical life, and almost half say it’s important for the president to have strong religious beliefs, according to a Pew Research Center study released this past March.
The study found the following:
— Thirteen percent of U.S. adults say they think Biden is “very” religious, while 41% say he is “somewhat” religious and 44% say he is “not too” or “not at all” religious.
— Four percent think Trump is “very” religious, while 25% describe him as “somewhat” religious and 68% say he is “not too” or “not at all” religious.
— Fewer than half of Americans say Biden or Trump stand up for people with their religious beliefs at least “some,” though responses on this question vary a lot by religious and political affiliations.
— Republicans and Democrats are highly polarized in their opinions of Biden and Trump, as well as how they evaluate these candidates’ religious engagement. These divides are often reflected in religious subgroups. For example, White evangelicals view Trump more favorably than do people in other religious groups, while Black Protestants, Jews and atheists are more positive than many others about Biden.
With that, here’s a guide to the 2024 U.S. presidential candidates, their religious affiliations and a notable statement they have made about faith:
Republican:
Donald Trump
Former president of the United States
Running mate: J.D. Vance
Age: 77
Religion: Raised Presbyterian, now a nondenominational Christian
Bio: Trump is a real-estate mogul who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Despite a myriad of legal issues and the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, Trump remains the GOP’s frontrunner for the nomination.
On religion: “In a certain way, I felt very safe [after being shot], because I had God on my side. I really felt that.”
Democrat:
Kamala Harris
Vice President of the United States
Running mate: Tim Walz
Age: 59
Religion: Baptist who grew up with a Hindu mother
Bio: Currently the 49th vice president of the United States since 2021 under President Joe Biden, Harris is the first woman in that position and the highest-ranking female in U.S. history. She is aso the first African-American and first Asian-American vice president. A member of the Democratic Party, she was previously a U.S. senator from California from 2017 to 2021 and the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017.
On religion: “I learned that faith is a verb, and that we must live it, and show it, in action.”
Third Party:
Jill Stein
Green Party
Running mate: Butch Ware
Age: 73
Religion: Jewish
Bio: A doctor and an activist, Stein was the Green Party's nominee for president of the United States in the 2012 and 2016 elections. She was also the Green-Rainbow Party's candidate for governor of Massachusetts in 2002 and 2010.
On religion: “I have a lot of respect for many religions and spiritual traditions. I feel I am very much culturally Jewish — I was raised Jewish, though I am not actively a practicing Jew.”
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Cornel West
Independent
Running mate: Melina Abdullah
Age: 70
Religion: Christian
Bio: The grandson of a Baptist minister, West's primary philosophy focuses on the roles of race, gender and class struggle in American society. A self-proclaimed socialist, West draws his ideology from several traditions, including Christianity and left-wing populism. Among his most influential books are “Race Matters,” published in 1993, and “Democracy Matters” in 2004.
On religion: “White brothers and sisters, brown, red, or yellow — they are capable of transformation. Salvation is not in our hands, anyway.”
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Chase Oliver
Libertarian Party
Running mate: Michael ter Maat
Age: 38
Religion: Christian
Bio: A political activist, sales account executive and HR representative, Oliver was the Libertarian Party nominee for the 2022 U.S. Senate race in Georgia and in the 2020 Georgia’s 5th congressional district special election.
On religion: “I do want to clear up a misconception I am seeing online. Being LGBTQ does not mean you are anti-Christian or oppose religion in general. There are many LGBTQ people with a deep faith in the gospel, myself included. Don't question people's faith if you don't know them.”
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Randall Terry
Constitution Party
Running mate: Stephen Broden
Age: 65
Religion: Catholic
Bio: An anti-abortion activist, Terry founded the organization Operation Rescue. Starting in 1987, the group became particularly prominent for blocking the entrances to abortion clinics. In 1998, he ran for Congress in New York and again in 2006 for the Florida State Senate, both times unsuccessfully as a Republican. In 2003, Terry founded the Society for Truth and Justice. He ran for president in the 2012 Democratic Party primary.
On religion: “Individual conversion is a matter between the Holy Spirit and the individual. We are not talking about legislating faith. We are talking about legislating morality.”
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Claudia De La Cruz
Party for Socialism and Liberation
Running mate: Karina Garcia
Age: 42
Religion: United Church of Christ
Bio: A community organizer, De La Cruz is both an activist and theologian. In 2007, she earned a master's degree in social work from Columbia University, and a master's in divinity from Union Theological Seminary. She later served as pastor of Santo Romero de Las Américas church, a UCC congregation in New York.
On religion: “What gives us hope is that the material conditions are making people realize that the answers are not with the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, and that the solutions must come from the people, the communities.”
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Peter Sonski
American Solidarity Party
Running mate: Lauren Onak
Age: 62
Religion: Catholic
Bio: A former radio host and U.S. Marine, Sonski served as an elected member of Connecticut's Regional School District 17 Board of Education and director of the Knights of Columbus Museum.
On religion: “The American Solidarity Party is based in the tradition of Christian democracy. We acknowledge the state should be pluralistic while upholding a vision of the common good of all and of each individual informed by Christian tradition and acknowledging the primacy of religion in each person’s life.”
Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged. He previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on X @ClementeLisi.