Pastors Twice As Likely To Support One Candidate

A report published in September by Lifeway Research detailed how pastors across the U.S. are twice as likely to support former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris, but many are still reluctant to share their choice.

While a significant number of pastors (23%) did not want to reveal their presidential preference for the upcoming administration, at least 50% of respondents said they plan to vote for Trump in November, according to Lifeway Research. Only 24% of respondents said they plan to vote for Harris. “We ask pastors about many things going on in the culture today and they are willing to provide their opinion,” Lifeway Research Executive Director Scott McConnell said in a statement following the data release. “However, the growing number of pastors unwilling to respond with their voting intentions shows how sensitive or divisive politics has become in some churches.”

Political Party Preference

Exactly 50% of the respondents identified as Republican, while 25% said they were Independents. Only 18% identified as Democrats, suggesting some portion of Independent pastors are likely to vote Democrat. “Out of all the descriptors of pastors, their own political party preference is the best predictor of how they will vote,” McConnell argued. “Denominational groups often lean one way politically, but pastors must minister alongside many clergy who don’t share their political views.” (

“The same is true within their own congregations. In a culture that increasingly doesn’t want to tolerate people with different political views, pastors lead churches that strive for unity centered on faith,” he added. (HELP TODAY: House Passes Anti-Globalist Bill. Prayers Are Needed.)

Denominational Breakdown & Why?

“In 2024, Pentecostals had the highest share of respondents who planned to support Trump (65%), followed by Baptists (64%), non-denominational Christians (64%), members of the Church of Christ (55%), Lutherans (48%), Methodists (26%) and Presbyterians (24%). A much higher share of self-described Evangelical pastors (61%) signaled their intention to support Trump than their mainline Protestant counterparts (30%),” wrote The Christian Post in regards to an earlier survey. (LEARN MORE: Voters Sue Election Commission Over Alleged Duty Default)

When asked why each pastor developed their political preference, 85% of respondents said “ability to maintain national security” as the main determinant. Furthermore, pastors said they want the “‘ability to protect religious freedom’ (84%), their ‘position on foreign policy’ (83%), their ‘ability to improve the economy’ (83%), their ‘position on immigration’ (81%) and their ‘position on abortion’ (80%).”

Data were collected from 1,003 Protestant pastors in the United States between Aug. 8 and Sept. 3. With an error margin of +3.3 percentage points.

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