Vice President Kamala Harris Talks Immigration at Georgia Rally
At a recent campaign rally in Georgia, Vice President Kamala Harris addressed supporters, highlighting one of the pivotal issues in the upcoming election: immigration. She emphasized her experience as the former attorney general of a border state and made a bold promise: if elected president, she would “reinstate the border-security bill that Donald Trump effectively dismantled” and commit to signing it into law.
The legislation she referenced was the result of negotiations that began late last year, led by a bipartisan trio of senators. Among them was Senator James Lankford, a former Baptist youth minister from Oklahoma. Lankford, who entered the House as part of the Tea Party movement in 2011 and transitioned to the Senate in 2015, has significant political aspirations; he is currently campaigning for a leadership position within the Senate. For several months, he collaborated on the immigration bill with Senators Kyrsten Sinema, an independent from Arizona, and Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut. Their efforts represented a rare instance of bipartisanship in Congress, and after receiving approval from both party leaders in the Senate and an endorsement from the White House, the bill seemed poised to become law. It had the potential to be the first major piece of bipartisan immigration legislation in decades.
Listen to the Conversation With James Lankford
The senator discusses how political dynamics undermined his border bill, the evangelical Christian vote, and what life may look like after Trump.
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However, the momentum shifted when Donald Trump publicly opposed the bill, arguing that he did not want to provide President Biden with a political victory on such a contentious issue during an election year. Despite the bill incorporating many of the hardline policies favored by the right, it rapidly became politically toxic among Republican lawmakers. Ultimately, only four Republican senators supported the measure, leading to its demise and leaving Lankford with the fallout.
I was eager to speak with Lankford about his arduous work on this bill, only to see it collapse, and what this indicates about the future of bipartisan efforts within a Republican Party increasingly influenced by Trump. Our conversation began, however, with a discussion about his faith, which he described as the guiding force behind all his actions.
Faith and Politics
Before entering the political arena, you oversaw the largest Baptist youth camp in the nation, Falls Creek. A colleague of mine from Oklahoma mentioned that it is the go-to place for youth in the region. When you were elected, approximately 40 percent of Republican primary voters in Oklahoma had either attended Falls Creek or were familiar with someone who had. How has this organization shaped your life?
That’s a profound question. I dedicated 22 years to ministry, working closely with students and their families. Engaging with middle and high school students often meant addressing various traumas within their families. My wife and I devoted ourselves to nurturing those families and providing support. Prior to my political career, I was simply a voter.
In 2008 and 2009, I felt a strong calling to run for Congress in the central district. I approached our state Republican leaders to introduce myself, saying: “Hello, my name is James. I’m planning to run for Congress.” Their response was somewhat dismissive, as if to say, “That’s nice.” Nevertheless, I want to emphasize that my faith is integral to my identity; it’s not something I can just turn on or off. I often tell people that faith should influence every aspect of your life. It shapes how I treat my wife, how I interact with strangers, and fosters a belief that every individual is created in the image of God, possessing inherent value and dignity. Even when I might disagree with someone, I recognize their worth.
As I often joke with some of my Democratic colleagues, we maintain our friendships despite our differences. They may be wrong in their voting choices, but we can still engage in meaningful conversations and uphold our relationships.
