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--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to Morning Wire, I'm John Bickley.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And I'm Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: This is a Sunday edition.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Today's date is August 25th.
--:-- John Bickley: We have a special guest, Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
--:-- Ralph Reed: Thank you for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Ralph, Faith and Freedom is planning to spend $62 million to turn out the evangelical vote this year. What specifics can you give us about that effort?
--:-- Ralph Reed: It's the most comprehensive and ambitious ground game program directed at voters of faith in modern American political history. We'll knock on 10 million doors of homes that have between 17 and 18 million modeled evangelical Christians and other social conservatives registered to vote in those homes. That's about half of all the homes that the entire Republican Party knocked on in 2022.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's a massive effort. How are you going to achieve that?
--:-- Ralph Reed: We're making 10 million get-out-the-vote calls with volunteers using an app where they can pick a battleground state and call voters in that state. We're also sending 24 million get-out-the-vote texts and we're focused on low-propensity voters who have voted in one or less of the last three elections. We have 6,000 volunteers and about 4,000 paid staff engaging in this effort.
--:-- John Bickley: That's incredible. The left seems to be recognizing the importance of the evangelical vote in a way that maybe they didn't in the past. We've seen efforts in recent weeks to brand Kamala Harris as a woman of strong Christian faith.
--:-- Ralph Reed: No, because I think it misapprehends the faith vote. The media and many on the left think that evangelical Christians and faithful Roman Catholics are driven by identity politics.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What do you mean by that?
--:-- Ralph Reed: They think that if a candidate says they've been born again, that they're going to vote for them or that they have a deep and abiding faith that they're going to vote for them. We have so many examples of that not being true that I don't know why they still think it.
--:-- John Bickley: So, what are the issues that drive evangelical voters?
--:-- Ralph Reed: These voters are driven by issues and by policy. And this is the most pro-abortion ticket in U.S. history in Harris and Walls. It's the most anti-Israel ticket in American history. It's the most anti-religious freedom ticket in American history.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the group Evangelicals for Harris? They're trying to brand Kamala Harris as a woman of strong Christian faith.
--:-- Ralph Reed: I think it's a free country, and to be clear, 15 percent of the evangelical vote is about six or seven million votes. You know, it's a lot of people, but it's still only 15 percent of the evangelical community. And they're a distinct minority.
--:-- John Bickley: But don't you think that's a significant number?
--:-- Ralph Reed: Of course, it is. But I don't think it's going to work to advocate the election of people who are for abortion up to and in some cases, including infanticide. And who advocate rolling back a conservative majority on the Supreme Court that for the first time in a half a century has given Christians the right to express their faith in the public square, free from discrimination and persecution.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the fact that some evangelicals are now openly supporting Kamala Harris?
--:-- Ralph Reed: I think it's a shame. You know, look, Donald Trump says and does things that I wish he wouldn't say or do. But in the end, it's not about whether or not the candidate's personal style or personality or even governing style is the one that I would prefer. It's about policy and how it affects people.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about the argument that some evangelicals are making that they can't vote for Trump because of his personal style or behavior?
--:-- Ralph Reed: I think that's a false dichotomy. It's not about whether or not the candidate's personal style or personality or even governing style is the one that I would prefer. It's about policy and how it affects people.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the fact that some evangelicals are now voting for Kamala Harris?
--:-- Ralph Reed: I think it's a mistake. I think it's a mistake to vote for someone who is pro-abortion, who is anti-Israel, and who is anti-religious freedom.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about the Republican Party platform? Some people are saying that it's not strong enough on abortion.
--:-- Ralph Reed: I would encourage them to go back and actually read the Republican Party platform. And by the way, Megan, I should be clear. It's not the platform that I would have passed. It's not the platform that I would have written.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But what does the platform say about abortion?
--:-- Ralph Reed: The platform asserts that the unborn child is a person constitutionally and legally and therefore deserving of protection under the 14th Amendment clause that guarantees equal protection of all persons.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about the fact that some people are saying that the platform doesn't go far enough on abortion?
--:-- Ralph Reed: I think that's a misreading of the platform. The platform calls for the passage of bans on late-term abortion, which is a term that is not defined, but which for purposes of the pro-life movement is generally defined as at least after 20 weeks and as science advances, probably 15 weeks.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the fact that some people are saying that the platform doesn't mention the human life amendment?
--:-- Ralph Reed: I think that's a misreading of the platform. The platform doesn't mention the human life amendment, but it does assert that the unborn child is a person constitutionally and legally and therefore deserving of protection under the 14th Amendment clause that guarantees equal protection of all persons.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about the fact that some people are saying that the platform is not strong enough on abortion?
--:-- Ralph Reed: I think that's a misreading of the platform. The platform calls for the passage of bans on late-term abortion, which is a term that is not defined, but which for purposes of the pro-life movement is generally defined as at least after 20 weeks and as science advances, probably 15 weeks.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what about the fact that some people are saying that the platform doesn't go far enough on abortion?
--:-- Ralph Reed: I think that's a misreading of the platform. The platform calls for the passage of bans on late-term abortion, which is a term that is not defined, but which for purposes of the pro-life movement is generally defined as at least after 20 weeks and as science advances, probably 15 weeks.
--:-- John Bickley: Ralph, thank you for your time today.
--:-- Ralph Reed: Thank you for having me.
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--:-- John Bickley: This has been a Sunday edition of Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We'll be back tomorrow with more news and analysis.
--:-- John Bickley: And don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for daily coverage of the latest developments in politics, culture, education, sports, and more.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And if you want to support our work, consider becoming a Daily Wire member.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And we'll see you tomorrow.
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