I'm a National Best Selling Christian Author and I'm Voting for Kamala Harris

I care about being a good human being, and to be frank, Trump isn’t one.

Hey, friends.

I have been wrestling with how to approach this post for months, now. Most of you know that in the past I’ve written extensively about politics on this platform, and a lot of you have been messaging me, curious about why I haven’t shared much this year.

I get it. With the intensity of our current political landscape, we should be having these hard conversations. The truth is, I’ve been writing less overall, as this year I’m in a season of healing. I’ve been very intentional about focusing my limited energy on my family and rebuilding my life, and it probably shocks NONE of you that opening myself up to internet attacks isn’t a part of that winning formula.

Still. As a national best-selling Christian author with an enormous audience, I am aware that this platform is a privilege. I also know my voice is unique in this faith-informed space, and that’s a reality I don’t carry lightly. Which is exactly why I have decided to speak up and share why I’m voting for Kamala Harris.

(Trust me, you don’t have to announce if you’re unfollowing. I can count. I know the cost of this post.)

A little context: This year, I was invited by the Harris campaign to join in an official capacity as part of Christians for Kamala. I chose not to, because I’ve learned the hard way that endorsing one person is a risk—people are fallible, and it’s a risky thing to connect your name to somebody else’s character.

In the past, I’ve been vocal about other candidates, only to feel disappointed later in their actions. So I’ve learned to focus on patterns of behavior, policy proposals, and the impact these candidates have on real people. That is my decision-making metric going forward, and this year it made my decision easy.

You have to believe people when they show you that they are, and I have chosen to believe Donald Trump. His actions and words are a testament to his poor character (and that’s if you’re intentionally ignoring the 34 felonies or the scores of women who have claimed he assaulted them). I have to be honest, I’ve always found Trump’s behavior and discourse to be a a bit of a jagged pill, but that is made even worse by the good ole church folk who insist that he’s Christ made over.

Christian nationalism is one of the biggest crises we’re facing in America today. When we start blending the gospel with government, we walk into dangerous territory—a mix our founders sought to avoid after escaping an oppressive religious government. Today, this dangerous blend is overtaking one political party, and that doesn’t just concern me; it terrifies me.

Legislating religion is a slippery slope, and after experiencing abusive church leadership firsthand, I know how dangerous it is to impose any one interpretation of faith on a nation. We need leaders who respect the separation of church and state, empathize with others, and honor the democratic process.

That’s one of many reasons I’m not voting for Donald Trump.

This decision is also deeply personal for me as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I know, intimately, the importance of bodily autonomy. Not only from my own tragic experience, but also as a lifelong advocate. I’ve spent countless hours as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA), working with young survivors of abuse who never had a choice in what happened to their bodies. If anyone spent even an hour with children facing parenthood they never wanted, they’d feel differently about these “family values” policies. There’s nothing protective about making children give birth. There is nothing protective about dictating healthcare choices for women who are in the most vulnerable position. These policies are a power grab, plain and simple, and they affect one group of people—women.

I want my daughter to grow up in a country where she has the right to decide what happens to her own body, where she has access to the care she needs—most especially if she’s in a crisis. This is a huge part of why I’m voting for Kamala Harris. It’s not because I believe in any one politician or person; it’s because I believe in policies that prioritize women’s health and choice.

Additionally, as it pertains to healthcare—y’all know I am a breast cancer survivor. What you may not know is that when I was diagnosed with breast cancer during the last election season, I had to choose between a bilateral mastectomy and a more gentle (equally safe) treatment. While I was making this life-altering decision, Trump was loudly discussing dismantling the ACA without any replacement. Let me unpack what that meant for me. Losing ACA protections for preexisting conditions meant that with my new health insurance policy, any previous diagnosed condition could be declined for therapeutic treatment.

Without ACA, I would be ineligible for cancer treatments just months after I was diagnosed. During that election, I was forced into a radically invasive healthcare decision out of fear. This isn’t just policy; it’s personal. Recently, Trump admitted on a debate stage that he still wants to gut ACA, and has no actual plan for a replacement, only “a concept of a plan.”

For the record, a concept of a plan doesn’t stop a cancer patient from being declined by health insurance for a pre existing condition. Only the ACA does that. Kamala Harris has supported the ACA and healthcare access for all Americans. I don’t know about you, but I want a future where healthcare is secure and accessible for everyone.

Character matters to me, too. When Trump mocked a disabled reporter, I remember thinking, “This has to be the end of his campaign.” But it wasn’t. And today, I watch as “good Christian people” continue to stand behind him, despite behavior that goes against the values they claim to hold. How can a man who boasts about his disregard for others, who has demeaned women and minorities and cheated on all three of his wives be held up as a model of faith?

A leader who sells signed Bibles isn’t a savior.

Voting for Kamala Harris isn’t about endorsing one person; it’s about supporting policies that reflect empathy, integrity, and respect for all people. Leaders are human and fallible; I don’t believe in putting anyone on a pedestal. But I do believe our leaders should treat people with dignity and reflect the best in us. Donald Trump’s discourse reflects the most base of human behaviors, using divisiveness and fear as keystones in his campaign to get re-elected.

I’m also voting for Kamala Harris because I believe in preserving democracy. Trump’s efforts to overturn the last election, his repeated denial of the results, and his refusal to accept a peaceful transition of power are alarming. Just yesterday, he stated, “I wish I hadn’t left the White House.” That sentiment has no place in a democracy, where power should never belong to any one person.

At the very least, Kamala Harris respects the principles of democracy and understands that our government depends on leaders who put the country before themselves.

Some people may be surprised by my vote, but I doubt my regular readers will be. I have always been an advocate for the marginalized and for people who do not have higher ground in this country. That will always, always lead my decisions, because I believe it’s the most Christ-like thing to do. I care about being a good human being, and to be frank, Trump isn’t one.

My immigrant friends, my queer friends, my friends who aren’t white evangelicals—they all deserve a safe country where their existence is protected and they are free to pursue their own happiness.

I don’t see the potential for that sort of America under another Trump presidency. The America he “wants back” is one that I’m glad we have left behind, and I hope we don’t experience again. You can keep your fat cat retirement benefits, if it means my friends live in fear, I don’t want it.

Thank you for reading, for being here, and for making your voices heard on Tuesday. Together, we have the power to shape our country’s future.

Let’s do it with love and integrity.

Dear readers,

Writing is my livelihood, and your support means the world to me. This particular piece touches on issues that might cost me a number of subscribers and a portion of my income. I remain committed to keeping my work paywall-free because honesty and encouragement should be accessible to everyone. But if this message resonates with you, and you’re able to help keep both my work and this message alive, I would deeply appreciate your support.

Thank you for helping me keep the lights on—not only in my home but in my heart, too.

Love,

Mary Katherine