Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

I am a woman of deep faith.

I did not, and won’t ever, vote for Donald Trump.

Not only am I a cradle Catholic, but my family has been filled with elected Democrats for generations. Up into seventh grade, these two parts of my identity peacefully coexisted. 

When Donald Trump started his campaign for the 2016 election, the more I started to see who the “religious” voter base was. As weeks and months went on, I quickly “learned” that being a true person of faith meant voting Republican. It meant voting for Trump. 

Being 13 is never easy. But during his first campaign, I started wrestle with key questions, and I’m happy I did. 

What does it mean to be religious? How is religion perceived by others? Am I… supposed to be a Republican? What does my faith have to do with my religion? 

Woah. While I felt a lot of support from my parents, it took many, many years to really feel peace in these sectors of my life. 

As I started to go further into high school, I fell into the pattern of qualifying my faith, which I still find myself doing.

“Oh, I’m Catholic… but not a Trump Catholic.”

Can you blame me? I wanted others to know I’m not one of “those” Christians. Valid, but tiring.

Why did Donald Trump get to corrupt my religion?

This continuous qualifying went on for many years, and I still do it today. 

You may be wondering why Trump does not represent my religious vote. He is a self-proclaimed Christian, is he not?

Almost two dozen women have accused Trump of both sexual harassment and assault.

He sold his own version of the Bible for $59.99.

Trump has 34 felony counts against him.

The candidate, while married to Melania, had an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels and paid her $130,000 to keep the encounters quiet.

When describing the Neo-Nazis of Charlottesville he said, “You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”

I could continue.

No, I’m not looking to elect the next Jesus Christ, but if I was, I wouldn’t vote for Donald Trump.

The world of Saint Bonaventure University opened my eyes; people of true faith can, and frequently do, vote blue. FRIARS vote blue. These two identity markers do not conflict. Rather, they complement each other extremely well. 

It comes in little moments. It’s seeing the University Ministries staff have pride flags on their desks or share their pronouns because if they can, even for a moment, make someone feel more welcome, they will. It’s men in brown robes giving a knowing wink at the College Democrats table during the club fair.

It also comes in big moments. University Ministries, conjoined with Mt. Irenaeus, paid for an all-expense paid trip for 10 students to lobby on Capitol Hill for environmental justice. Not because it’s “stuffy liberal agenda,” but because they value God’s desire to protect His creation.

I think God is above political parties, but let’s look at the long-standing tradition of Catholic Social Teaching, official Catholic doctrine. It reminds us, similar to Matthew’s gospel, that we are called to welcome the stranger, protect the poor and unhoused, honor the rights of workers, and respect our natural world (as well as many other calls). When I sit in church and hear the Corporal Works of Mercy, I literally feel myself become more emboldened to vote blue. 

In May I will graduate with a degree in Communication, Social Justice & Advocacy with minors in Theology and Political Science. I don’t really have a clue what I’m going to do yet. I have no jobs lined up. 

However, I could die extremely happy if I could leave this message with the next liberal Catholic finding her way: You are complete. Your religion and vote belong to YOU and you alone. Revel in being “the exception,” but know that you are not alone. Revel in the joy of making the Catholic church just 1% more welcoming. Know that you pave the future for a better world. Know that your voice is important, and it cannot be ignored. 

I am a deep woman of faith. I won’t ever vote for Donald Trump.

Claire Fisher is the co-campus correspondent for the St. Bonaventure Her Campus chapter. She is responsible for the general managing of chapter and executive board logistics with her roommate and co-president, Leah! Claire even implemented a once-a-year print issue of HC at SBU. Claire is currently a senior studying Communication, Social Justice & Advocacy with focuses on theology and political science. Aside from Her Campus, Claire currently serves as co-president of Jandoli Women in Communication, passionate about representation in the media field, and works in the University Ministries building. Lastly, she is a content creator and the communications officer for St. Bonaventure College Democrats. In her time away from academics, Claire loves to walk on local trails or lay in the sun, especially while listening to playlist she made herself. Her love language is music; she even works as a DJ at a local bar! A fun fact you may not know about Claire is that her favorite game show is Press Your Luck.