When Will Democratic Presidential Candidates Hire a Secular Outreach Director?

For far too many elections, the common wisdom has been that religious Americans vote for Republicans while Democrats angle for the secular vote.

That’s an oversimplification, of course, but even variations on that aren’t accurate. While white evangelicals overwhelmingly support GOP candidates, everyone else is really up for grabs. Democrats have good reason to want to reach out to progressive Christians, Jews, Muslims, and even atheists (who care deeply about religion, but in a different direction). Those people would tell you they’re inspired by their beliefs to demand certain progressive policies. But Democratic candidates haven’t always paid much attention to them — not this far out before Election Day, anyway.

South Bend mayor and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is trying to change that. He recently appointed a “faith outreach director” for his 2020 campaign with a goal of taking his message to those religious groups. Rev. Shawna Foster is a 35-year-old Unitarian Universalist who supports LGBTQ rights and other progressive values.

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