The 2024 U.S. presidential election resulted in a historic comeback for President-elect Donald Trump, who defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to return for a second term as president.
The only other president to serve non-consecutive terms is Grover Cleveland, who served as both the 22nd and 24th president. As results continue to come in, here are three takeaways about the election and how the results are likely to affect issues of life, religious liberty, and marriage and family.
1. Voters in 3 states chose to protect life
Election Night had both victories and setbacks for the pro-life cause. Out of the 10 states with abortion-related measures on the ballot, voters in three states voted to protect life and reject initiatives enshrining abortion into state law. The states that rejected constitutional ballot amendments protecting abortion, thereby protecting life, were: Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota. The states that passed abortion ballot initiatives were: Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and New York.
Brent Leatherwood, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, said, “As we process the abortion ballot initiatives from across the country, it is obvious that there is a critical need, not only in policy but at a more basic level, in individual hearts and consciences, for a better understanding of the humanity of preborn children.”
2. Many members of Congress have promised to make religious liberty a priority
Many elected members of Congress have promised to do more to safeguard and promote religious liberty. There are many ways Congress can fulfill this goal, such as:
• continuing to refuse to pass legislation that would create exemptions to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
• ensuring that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom remains funded each year.
• passing legislation like the Conscience Protection Act, which would permanently enshrine conscience protections into federal law.
3. Congress has new opportunities to enact pro-marriage and pro-family policies
In 2025, Trump-era tax provisions in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are set to expire. Lawmakers will be negotiating a variety of pro-family tax provisions, including items like:
• reducing marriage penalties in existing tax law.
• revising the Child Tax Credit and the Adoption Tax Credits.
Additionally, there are opportunities for Congress to take up provisions like the Universal Charitable Deduction, which would encourage charitable giving in tax law.
Furthermore, through the annual government funding process (i.e., appropriations), there is potential for the newly-restructured Congress to:
• cease funding abortion providers and abortion-related lodging and travel.
• ensure government funding is not used to promote harmful “gender transitions” or gender ideology.
• ensure government agencies are not used to target individuals or organizations for their deeply-held religious beliefs on sex and gender.
A complex, yet hopeful path forward after the 2024 election
The 2024 election results present a complex landscape for Christian public engagement. While new opportunities will continue to emerge for advancing religious liberty and policies that strengthen families, the passage of seven pro-abortion ballot initiatives shows a need for continued pro-life work. The positive results in three states demonstrate that there is a path forward for the cause of life, and this is work the ERLC will continue to champion as we pray for hearts to change across our nation.
Moving forward, our task is threefold:
• engage emerging generations with compelling arguments for protecting the preborn.
• maintain unwavering biblical conviction on the sanctity of human life.
• demonstrate Christ-like love to those who disagree as we work to persuade them.
This moment calls for renewed focus on discipleship that connects Christian ethics to public engagement, helping believers think critically about how their faith should inform their civic participation. Southern Baptists must remain committed to engaging and bringing hope to the public square with both grace and truth, while working to build bridges across generational and ideological divides — all for the sake of gospel proclamation.
