Jerry Falwell, Jr. is backing Donald Trump for president
GOP frontrunner gains evangelical leader's endorsement, striking a blow to rival Ted Cruz
GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump achieved a major coup this week after Jerry Falwell, Jr., the president of Liberty University, endorsed his candidacy, a move that Trump supporters hope will boost the business magnate’s standing among evangelical voters ahead of the Iowa caucus on Feb. 1.
Trump, who is much less public about his religious beliefs and tends to eschew social issues when compared to his Republican opponents, is hoping Falwell’s endorsement will translate into greater support among evangelicals and other socially conservative voters, who make up a majority of voters in the Iowa presidential caucus. By earning Falwell’s nod, Trump also gets headlines and steals a coveted endorsement from his chief rival in the Hawkeye State, Sen. Ted Cruz, hopefully blunting his momentum.
Heretofore, it was Cruz who had been racking up most of the major endorsements by prominent social conservatives. The Falwell endorsement also stings Cruz because Liberty University was the place where the senator first launched his presidential campaign.
According to polling averages from Real Clear Politics, Trump, who once trailed Cruz in the state, has regained his momentum and leads the Texas senator by an average of 5.8 percentage points.
In a statement announcing his endorsement, Falwell called Trump “a successful executive and entrepreneur, a wonderful father and a man who I believe can lead our country to greatness again.”
“It is truly an honor to receive Jerry’s endorsement,” Trump said in a statement. “Not only is he a high-quality person, with a wonderful family, whom I have great respect for — I also consider him a very good friend and his support means so much to me.”
The Washington Post reports that Trump has shifted his focus to emphasize his faith or pander to religious voters, now beginning his rallies with a prayer, meeting with megachurch ministers and even associating with political figures known for their conservative religious views, such as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. The Post reports that Falwell’s endorsement came together over a period of several months, with the two men often holding private phone calls with one another.
Falwell’s endorsement also continues Liberty’s tradition of taking an active role in conservative politics. His father, Jerry Falwell, Sr., who died in 2007, had been a major figure among religious conservatives and was a founder of the Moral Majority, an organization aimed at melding religion and politics by mobilizing conservative Christian voters for the purpose of promoting particular economic and social policies during the 1980s.
Because of Falwell, Sr.’s contributions to the political right, the Falwell family has enjoyed immense influence over the GOP political scene, even acting as “kingmaker” for ambitious politicians. As a result, Republicans from presidential contenders John McCain and Mitt Romney to Jeb Bush to former Louisiana governor and presidential candidate Bobby Jindal have spoken at Liberty and attempted to curry favor with Falwell.
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