A recent poll from Morning Consult/Politico found that evangelicals are the religious group most in favor of the plan to end the Johnson amendment, which keeps registered nonprofits out of the political fray.
According to the poll, 47 percent support letting religious groups—and other nonprofits— be politically active, and only 34 percent do not support it. That’s compared to 54 percent of Catholics and 69 percent of Jewish people who do not support it.
Only 28 percent of Americans in general support the repeal, with 53 percent saying churches should not endorse candidates in elections and 54 percent saying they shouldn’t be part of politics in general.
Last week, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, along with several co-sponsors, introduced a bill to begin the process of repealing the bill, but it’s met with criticisms on both sides.
Trump has repeatedly promised his conservative Christian base that the law would be repealed, but the idea is met with criticisms on both sides. An organization that supports the repeal, Alliance Defending Freedom, writes on their website that for “almost the first 200 years in America, pastors spoke freely and boldly from their pulpit about the issues of the day, including candidates running for office.”
However, people in opposition argue that becoming involved with politics will muddy the waters for American Christians. It’s also important to note that repealing the law would mean all 501c3 nonprofits, including organizations like Planned Parenthood, would be able to speak publicly about politics.
