KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Billboards saying things like "I'm a former Trump voter and I'm voting for Harris" are being depicted across Greater Grand Rapids.
The billboards mention those shown being gun owners or Christians, among the messages.
There are more than half a dozen of them around West Michigan.
FOX 17 took an in-depth look at why the organization behind the billboards decided to display this message, who's on them, and what it might mean through the lens of faith.
Tom Moore is one of the people shown on the side of the highway. It proclaims he's voting for Kamala Harris.
“I have people come up to me at work, and they’re like, 'Oh, my goodness! I saw you on the billboard,'” Tom Moore said.
He describes why it's important for him to no longer vote for Trump. Moore voted for Trump in 2016, and a write-in candidate in 2020.
“The Constitution is something that’s really important. It defines our rights, our freedoms, our liberties. It’s really important that we don’t have government overreach," Moore said.
Moore still considers himself a conservative and identifies as a Christian. He says those two things don't mean he needs to vote for Trump.
“He’s become more and more extreme. He doesn’t reflect the values that I hold dear,” Moore said.
This view, statistically speaking and according to an expert on Christian nationalism, places Moore in the minority.
“The latest numbers suggest that 82% of white evangelicals intend to vote for Donald Trump,” Kristin Kobes Du Mez, an expert on Christian nationalism, said.
“It’s hard actually to find those unicorns if you will,” Kobes Du Mez continued.
But if you ask Senior Pastor Lorenzo Sewell of Detroit, who spoke at the Republican National Convention, Christian faith and Trump go hand in hand.
"You cannot believe this Bible and vote for Vice President Harris. It’s impossible,” Sewell said.
The PAC responsible for the billboards calls them a side-of-the-road reckoning of sorts.
“These former Trump voters can talk to other voters in the state who might have the same reservations that they do about Donald Trump and let them know that just because they voted for Donald Trump in the past doesn’t mean they have to in 2024,” Director of Strategy for Republican Voters Against Trump John Conway said.
Tom remains steadfast in his readiness to cross party lines.
“Faith and politics shouldn’t mix. To me they’re completely separate,” Moore said.
The latest election news is on FOX 17
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
