Donald Trump addresses his supporters in the early hours Wednesday morning after it became apparent he would once again be elected to the presidency.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (BP) — Southern Baptist leaders congratulated President-elect Donald J. Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, on their election victory while celebrating other voters’ decisions over pro-life issues and religious liberty.
The Associated Press called Wisconsin for Trump at 5:34 a.m., EST, Wednesday morning (Nov. 6), giving him the required 270 electoral votes and making the 45th U.S. president also its 47th come January.
Trump held 292 electoral votes as of 3 p.m. EST, with results pending from Nevada, Alaska and Arizona, all states where Trump holds decisive leads and which would give him 20 more electoral votes. Maine, where Democratic nominee Kamala Harris leads, has also not reported its results.
Trump is expected to win the popular vote, a feat not accomplished by a Republican since George W. Bush did so 20 years ago. Bush himself had broken a 16-year drought after his father, George H.W. Bush, won the popular vote in 1988.
Southern Baptist leaders voiced support for the election results that included several pro-life victories as well.
“Thanks be to God for a decisive result in the presidential contest and for pro-life victories in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota,” Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) President Clint Pressley posted this morning. “Congratulations to President-elect @realDonaldTrump and Vice President-elect @JDVance. I and millions of my fellow Southern Baptists will be praying for you.
‘The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice.’ – Psalm 97:1”
Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) President Brent Leatherwood also congratulated Trump on his “decisive” return to the White House.
“We will work diligently with his incoming administration to advance the protection of religious liberty, defend marriage and family, and push forward the cause of human dignity,” Leatherwood said. “Traveling alongside these priorities are our pro-life convictions, which remain a top priority for Southern Baptists.
“We are hopeful for what can be accomplished in the next four years and will work with the Trump administration and members of the 119th Congress to make real headway on issues of importance to Southern Baptists.”
Attention settled on seven swing states — Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — that would sway the election. Should Trump maintain his lead in Arizona and Nevada, he will end up taking all of them. The biggest prize was Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes that the AP claimed for Trump at 2:24 a.m.
The AP called Michigan for Trump on Wednesday afternoon, completing his sweep of the “Blue Wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. He won those states in the 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton but lost them in 2020 against Joe Biden.
Trump’s potential 312 electoral votes would outpace the 304 he received eight years ago when he took the White House the first time.
Republicans also reclaimed the Senate by flipping seats in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana. The party is also poised to reclaim the House of Representatives, though final tabulations may take days, at least.
An NBC News exit poll showed 45% of Hispanic/Latino voters going for Trump, a 13 point increase from 2020. More than half, 54%, of Latino men turned out for the president-elect, which reflects an 18-point increase from the previous election, while Latino women increased support for Trump from 30% to 37%.
The biggest change among age cohorts supporting Trump came in the 18-29 group, which delivered a 6-point increase to 36%.
While 58% of women in that age group — basically Gen Z — still sided with Harris, men shifted in a dramatic way, with 56% voting for Trump. That figure reflects a 14-point drop in support for Biden in 2020 and 15-point jump for the president-elect this year.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.)
