Who's backing Trump and who's for Clinton? The battle for evangelical endorsements
The evangelical constituency in the US is a political prize fought over by both Republicans and Democrats. White evangelicals are voting Trump by a huge margin – 76 per cent are on his side – while black and hispanic voters tend to favour Clinton. According to Pew, 89 per cent of black Protestants, two-thirds of whom are evangelicals, will vote for Clinton in November.
So endorsements from leading evangelical pastors and opinion-formers are prized, because they can influence the followers of these Christian leaders. "So-and-so thinks Trump is a good guy? Well, maybe he's right."
And so far, Trump is way ahead in the evangelical endorsement stakes. In a smart move, he's also set up a faith advisory board which includes prominent evangelicals. Endorsing him is not a condition of membership, but it lends colour to his claim to be representing them – and muffles any criticisms of him they might feel...