Trump teams up with conservative Christian

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has selected a candidate with strong ties to conservative Christians as his running mate, writes Michael Sean Winters. Indiana Governor Mike Pence also has considerable experience in Washing­ton, having served in Congress for 12 years. He supported Senator Ted Cruz in the Republican primaries.

Mr Pence was raised Catholic and attended parish schools but had a conversion experience during college that led him to describe himself as a “born-again, evangelical Catholic” in the 1990s. By the end of that decade, he was attending an evangelical mega-church in Indianapolis and running for Congress in 2000 as “a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican – in that order.” He is not currently a member of any congregation. Among all religious demographic groups, according to a new Pew Research Center poll, Mr Trump does best among self-described evangelicals who do not attend church frequently.

Sr Simone Campbell, President of the advocacy group NETWORK, currently on her “Nuns on the Bus” tour, questioned how Mr Pence’s faith informs his politics. “While Governor Pence has said he is a Christian above all, his voting record in Congress and many of his actions as Governor belie this identity,” she said.

“In Congress, Governor Pence voted consistently to leave the needs of low-income families out of his concern, which is not a Christian response to the huge income and wealth gaps in our nation. We at NETWORK urge Governor Pence to get to know the struggles of our people.”