Senator JD Vance took a distinctively faith-centered approach during his rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Sunday, as an attendee shouted.
“Jesus is King!” Vance, echoing the supporter, repeated the phrase, setting a contrasting tone to Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent interaction with Christian protesters at one of her rallies.
Vance, who often refrains from speaking publicly about his religious beliefs, shared that he found his faith as a young adult and was baptized in 2019, emphasizing the role Christianity plays in his life and politics.
“I say this as a Christian, as a person who was baptized for the first time just a few years ago. There is something really bizarre with Kamala Harris’ anti-Christian rhetoric and anti-Christian approach to public policy,” Vance explained.
His statement followed Harris’ encounter with two Christian students at her own Wisconsin rally, where they shouted “Jesus is Lord” and “Christ is King,” to which Harris reportedly responded, “You guys are at the wrong rally.“
As Vance discussed the importance of faith in his life and its place in American politics, the rally attendee interrupted with the exclamation, “Jesus is King!” Vance responded,
“That’s right. Jesus is King,” demonstrating a sharp contrast to Harris’ dismissive tone at her rally the previous week.
The tension between the two political figures regarding faith escalated further when Vance addressed a viral video involving Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
In the clip, Whitmer, while wearing a Harris-Walz campaign hat, was seen feeding Doritos to a kneeling podcast host, an act Vance and others perceived as mocking a sacred Christian rite.
“I don’t think that we’ve seen anything like this in modern American politics,” Vance remarked.
“Gretchen Whitmer does this really bizarre thing where she acts like she’s giving somebody communion, but it’s a Dorito.“
“And of course, Gretchen Whitmer isn’t like a minister of anything except for, you know, a church I don’t necessarily want to talk about, but think about how sacrilegious that is and think about how offensive that is to every person.“
Vance’s criticism of Whitmer was not limited to the viral video.
He extended his comments to broader concerns about the treatment of religious people under the current administration.
Vowing that he and former President Donald Trump would fight to protect the rights of all Americans to live according to their values.
“Frankly, whether you’re a person of Christian faith or not, Donald Trump and I are going to fight for your right to live your values, because that’s what the First Amendment protects,” Vance said.
He added, “And I think whether you’re a Christian, a Catholic or any other faith or no faith at all, when you see an American leader,“
“When you see a surrogate of Kamala Harris insulting people of the Christian faith, I think that we should say to every single one of those people, you’re fired. We’re not giving you any more power.“
Governor Whitmer later apologized for the video, clarifying that it was not intended to mock people of faith.
Despite this, Vance continued to emphasize the perceived anti-religious stance of Harris and the Democratic leadership, pointing to growing concerns among Catholics and other Christians about being marginalized under their policies.
“There are a lot of Catholics. So I think rightfully feel abandoned by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s leadership. And they’re just looking for somebody to protect their rights and make this country an affordable and decent place to raise a family,” Vance stated.
Vance’s comments come on the heels of an incident involving two pro-life Wisconsin college students who attended Harris’ rally, shouting Christian messages.
The students, Luke Polaske and Grant Beth, insist that Harris directed her response at them when she told the crowd, “You guys are at the wrong rally.”
Polaske later recounted how Harris made eye contact with him and gave him “an evil smirk” before they were asked to leave.
“I just want to clear that up and confirm that she 100% was talking to us,” Polaske stated.
The Harris campaign has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the incident.
As the 2024 election campaign intensifies, the divide between candidates on matters of faith and values continues to deepen, with figures like Vance taking a more vocal stance in defense of religious freedom.
