A caller who identified himself as a lifelong Democrat told C-SPAN on Monday that he was inspired by the first night of the Republican National Convention (RNC) and will be supporting Republicans this year.
The caller, who identified himself only as “Rick,” from Lorain, Ohio, said he decided to change his vote in part because of the way Republicans have embraced the word “God.” (“Some Democratic caucus members omitted ‘one nation under God’ from the Pledge of Allegiance during DNC meetings,” PolitiFact reported.)
“The people on the Democratic side, at their convention — acted like they were pushing God right out of it. And that had a lot to do with changing my mind,” the caller said.
“I’m a lifelong Democrat. I’m from Lorain, Ohio, which is a Democrat city in Ohio. And I just want to say after watching the convention tonight on TV on C-SPAN here, I am definitely changing my vote to Republican. And I’ll tell you what, they just put the Democratic Party to … shame. I’m gonna’ follow the Republican Party now,” he said.
When C-SPAN host Peter Slen asked why, and the caller said, “It was the heartfelt way they came across to the American people. And I was really touched by the number of times they used the word, ‘God.’ They put God into everything and the people on the Democratic side on their convention act like they were pushing God right out of it. And that had a lot to do with changing my mind.”
Asked if he was a union member, the caller said, “No, sir. I’m from uh, Lorain, Ohio, and we are a Democrat town here, and have been for 50 years.”
Ohio will be a swing state again in November. “President Donald Trump lost northeastern Ohio’s Lorain County to Hillary Clinton by fewer than 200 votes out of more than 130,000 cast in 2016, despite prevailing in the state by more than 8 percent of the vote,” wrote Mediaite, which first reported the story.
The official meeting of RNC delegates on Monday emphasized the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance following the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
Lifelong Democrat tells C-SPAN: “after watching the convention tonight…I am definitely changing my vote to Republican” pic.twitter.com/zGAqVAnM6q
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) August 25, 2020
The RNC is putting faith front and center throughout its four-day convention.
“The son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, the head of an anti-abortion ministry, and the co-founder of Liberty University’s Falkirk Center are among the conservative Christian leaders scheduled to speak this week at the Republican National Convention. Several of the political figures scheduled to speak are also known for their faith, including Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, who has spoken often about his Seventh-day Adventist faith. In a break with precedent, the sitting secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, also will speak at the convention. Pompeo, an outspoken Christian, has spoken before on ‘Being a Christian Leader,'” Religion News reported.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Catholic archbishop of New York, will also lead a prayer. “It is my hope that, during this tumultuous time in our nation’s history, people of all religious faiths or none at all might join together in seeking peace and reconciliation in our hearts, in our cities, and in our country,” Dolan said in an email released by the Trump campaign.