Conservative Texas megachurch pastor makes surprising Kamala Harris endorsement

Conservative anti-abortion megachurch pastor William Dwight McKissic Sr. says he exceeded expectations with his vote in Tuesday’s presidential election.

McKissic, the founder of Cornerstone Baptist Church, in Arlington, Texas, has endorsed Kamala Harris for president and labeled Donald Trump as a “race-baiting” adulterer.

In one op-ed for MSNBChe revealed that despite being an evangelical Christian who “hates abortion,” he will not support the Republican former president in Tuesday’s election.

In terse terms, he said he would not support the “adulterous, childish, habitually lying and criminally convicted” former president.

McKissic’s endorsement on Sunday is the latest shock in a battle between Trump and the Democratic Vice President that has put America on edge.

The founder of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, has thousands of followers.

Trump and Harris made their final pitch Monday to sway voters before the polls opened Tuesday in a close-call contest that hinges on a handful of swing states.

Although political endorsements are believed to have a negligible impact on election outcomes, some voters still look to celebrities, religious leaders and influencers for clues on how to vote.

McKissic’s comments may resonate with Christian conservatives, who traditionally side with Republicans but are uneasy about Trump’s record on divorce and sex scandals.

In his op-ed, McKissic made the surprise announcement that he was endorsing Harris because she was “trustworthy” and the “person of good character” in the race.

“Republican Donald Trump does not have the character, competence or capacity of Harris,” he wrote.

McKissic acknowledged that for decades he aligned himself with the Republican Party as the “party closest to our morals, our values ​​and our commitment to biblical principles.”

He said he had always been against gay marriage and abortion, and that was “the reason why voting for Republicans made sense to me.”

He wrote that his views on these issues had not changed, but that he no longer viewed the Republicans as morally responsible.

“I don’t even recognize the Republican Party anymore,” McKissic wrote.

“The party I knew and loved would never have chosen the adulterous, childish, habitually lying and criminally convicted Donald Trump as its candidate.”

He says Vice President Harris is “trustworthy” and a “person of good character.”

Former President Trump, however, is “adulterous” and “twice divorced,” he adds.

William Dwight McKissic Sr, here with his wife Vera, is a strong believer in family values.

The pastor noted how his evangelical colleagues had denounced former President Bill Clinton over his sex scandal in the 1990s but failed to address Trump today.

“It’s astonishing to see these same leaders ignoring Trump’s many sex scandals,” he wrote.

They should not “ignore the fact that he has been found liable in court for sexually assaulting a woman,” he added, referring to Trump being found liable for sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll in 2023.

“It’s sickening to see people who say they read and believe the same Bible. Not only do I refuse to denounce Trump, but I support his candidacy.”

McKissic said no major candidate in the 2024 race shared his position on social issues, so he had to find a new “voting criterion.”

‘I cannot vote for a party that upholds my social beliefs. Because neither is the case,” he wrote.

‘So I have to vote on the character of the candidates. Harris comes in.”

He called Harris “a person of good character and someone who can be trusted.”

“Unlike the adulterous, twice-divorced Trump, she married her first and only husband, and gracefully embraced the role of mother to his children,” he wrote.

‘She presents herself as a woman of integrity and leads with love. By that I mean she has a kind and hospitable spirit,” he wrote.

He added, “Oh, and she can pass a background check.”

He contrasted this with Trump’s role in the “day of chaos, violence and unrest” when his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.