Typically, a religious outreach director for the Republican presidential nominee has a fairly easy job. In past elections, evangelical Protestants and Mormons have been a shoo-in. Conservative Catholics have often supported Republican candidates, as have some of their more progressive counterparts. All that staffer has had to do is host a few events and slip some religiously coded language into the candidate’s speeches and the job is done.
But Trump is turning out to be a little more complicated nominee when it comes to religious voters. Trump currently has more support from white evangelicals than Mitt Romney did four years ago, but some conservative Christian leaders vocally oppose him and are encouraging their constituents to follow suit. He has less support from Catholic voters and Mormons than Romney did in 2012, and his struggles with the latter group means that even Utah may now be in play.
Trump hasn’t exactly helped matters with his religious blunders on the campaign trail: placing money in a church communion plate, being unable to cite his favorite Bible verse, admitting he’s never asked God for forgiveness, and committing his now-infamous “Two Corinthians” gaffe. It didn’t help that he picked a fight with the pope, either.
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