The Christians Preaching the Case for Kamala: 'Trump Undermines the Work of Jesus'
Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Christians are traveling the country on a mission — spreading faith, hope, and love, and attempting to move evangelicals from Trump to Harris.
The following article by Alex Morris originally appeared in Rolling Stone on October 25, 2024. What follows is an excerpt that includes local state legislative candidates JD Jordan and Danielle Bell. Read the whole story at Rolling Stone.
On a recent Sunday in Canton, Georgia, a group of American Christians found themselves on a mission. It was a very specific mission, though like many missions these days, it had merch. It had live music. It had signage spread out across the front yard of a former one-room schoolhouse such that when cars meandered down the two-lane street passing through this quiet patch of Cherokee County, drivers might take notice and—should the spirit strike—feel themselves moved to pull over and hearken to see what in the heck was going on.
“That was a good honk” said Pastor Robb Ryerse, as a car drove past, the driver laying on the horn merrily. Ryerse raised his hand in greeting. “We can tell the good honks from the bad honks. That's a good honk.”
The small crowd on the lawn tittered knowingly. At the moment, Ryerse stood in front of a tour bus emblazoned with “Faith, Hope & Love,” a phrase that any good Christian would know is from 1 Corinthians 13:13 (that's first Corinthians, not one Corinthians, by the way). It could be assumed that such messaging would play well in Cherokee County, one of the most politically conservative areas around Atlanta, and a place where evangelical faith is practically the default setting. But the bus also happened to say “Supporting Democracy for ALL,” messaging that might not play so well in a state that's home to S.B. 202, one of the most sweeping voter-suppression laws in the nation. More than that, the lawn was scattered with “Harris Walz 2024” and rainbow-colored “Love Thy Neighbor -- No Exceptions” signage. In other words, the whole affair was a bit of a head-scratcher for those who have come to assume that “conservative Republican” and “evangelical Christian” are synonymous terms.
For Vote Common Good, the group that organized the rally, combating that blithe association was precisely the point. A few minutes earlier, Doug Pagitt, a Minnesota-based pastor and the organization's executive director, had stood before the assembled in maroon pants and a blue fedora and announced as much: “Now, you'd be surprised when you drive around this country with a bus that says 'faith, hope, and love' on it, and then you put up a candidate who's running for office as a Democrat, how many people feel confused. Happens all the time. Because a lot of people in this country have been told over and over that if you're truly a Christian, then you can only vote for a Republican.” Pagitt gesticulated with the conviction of a tent-revival preacher. “We're here to remind you: That has never been true. It's not true today, and it's not gonna be true tomorrow.”
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Vote Common Good seeks no cover. It gladly owns the disruption it causes; it wants that to run deep. Its focus is far down the ballot, and far more concerned with supporting candidates with a commitment to policies that promote the common good than candidates with a commitment to Christ. “What I often say is we're not trying to take America back for liberal Jesus, you know?” explained Ryerse. “We're not trying to win some purity contest. We're trying to win an election. We are agnostic about the faith of the candidates we work with.”
That agnosticism certainly applied to Georgia state senate candidate J.D. Jordan, whom Vote Common Good was supporting at the rally in Canton. “When J.D. Vance first declared, we had all these fun ideas, like ‘Get to Know Your J.D.!’“ Jordan had joked before the rally: “Oh, we've both written books, and we've both worked in tech, but I'm not going to imprison you for having an abortion, and I know how to order a fucking doughnut!” He might well have added his view of “family values” to the list of divergences: As the father of two trans kids, Jordan had decided to enter the race to try to unseat Republican John Albers, the seven-term-incumbent sponsor of Senate Bill 140, Georgia's recent anti-trans health care bill. “I just want to do right by my kids,” Jordan told me, adding that when Vote Common Good first reached out to him, he wasn't convinced that he wanted the support of a religious organization and was clear that, as an atheist, he didn't want to misrepresent himself. But after talking with Ryerse, he had gladly signed onto Vote Common Good's “Love-in-Politics Pledge,” in which candidates “pledge to comport themselves in their public and political lives in ways of love consistent with 1 Corinthians 13.” Says Pagitt, “We don't technically endorse candidates; they endorse the common good.”
Danielle Bell, Joel Michael Herbert, Robb Ryerse, and Nick Brock with Vote Common Good
Danielle Bell, a young mom and social worker running for the state house of representatives in Georgia, also took the pledge. “I've been a Catholic my whole life,” Bell said before speaking at the rally. “And the place that I've had the least amount of reception or the most friction [about my candidacy] is in my Catholic community. It's really hard to go across that steep message of ‘You have to vote Republican to be a Christian.’ So, yes, I want to represent, but also, I'm here to learn, ‘How can I do a better job at going against that message?’”
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It was soon time for Vote Common Good to board the Good Force II and hit the open road. There was a rally with Rep. Katie Porter to attend that evening. There was a meeting with California teachers and school-board members the day after that. By Wednesday, they'd be headed to an event in Goodyear, Arizona. Come Thursday, they'd be Omaha-bound. The mission was upon them, by God: There was action to take, an election to win. There were hearts and minds and souls to encounter. There was faith, hope, and love yet to spread.
JD JORDAN FOR GEORGIA STATE SENATE DISTRICT 56
For anyone in East Cobb, Roswell, or Woodstock alarmed by the state’s escalating attacks on our bodies, our families, our doctors’ offices, our classrooms and libraries, even our polling places, I’m running for State Senate district 56 to fight for our freedoms and to deliver a better future for everyone in Georgia.
And unlike my opponent who’s spent 14 years rolling back our freedoms, failing to safeguard our kids, and gerrymandered his district to stay in office, I promise to bring everyone in the 56—regardless of ideology—the best possible constituent experience so you feel heard, valued, and supported. As we all deserve to be.
I’m running for the 56. Let’s make a better Georgia for all of us.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT
Jordan For Georgia, LLC
10800 Alpharetta Hwy Ste 208 #629
Roswell, GA 30076-1467
jdjordan@forthe56.com
706.804.0456
