The morning I found out Kamala Harris wasn't going to the Al Smith Dinner, I was dumbfounded.

Critics might argue that the event is about cozying up to conservative New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and his wealthy friends. But based on my 15 years of experience doing faith-based political organizing work, I saw that it was about something far more critical: the headlines that persuadable Hispanic Catholics in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia would read in the election's final days.

My fear was well-founded. Outside groups' attempts to present pro-Catholic arguments in favor of Vice President Harris were drowned out by the snub, which fed into the damaging media narrative that Kamala Harris and the Democrats were anti-Catholic.

The video the Harris campaign played instead missed the mark entirely—it felt like it was put together by media operatives who believed their Catholic grade-school education gave them the insight needed to grasp the particular instincts of Catholic voters across the nation.

The Al Smith Dinner has long been a crucial platform for engaging with Catholic voters and demonstrating a willingness to find common ground, even on the most divisive issues. Not showing up felt like a deliberate decision to sidestep an important constituency—a decision that underscored the Democratic Party's growing "God problem."

Joe Biden's success connecting with Catholic voters during his presidential runs provides a stark contrast with Harris' approach. Biden frequently invoked his Catholic faith on the campaign trail, emphasizing how it informed his values and policy priorities, from health care to economic justice.

In 2020, the Biden campaign ran targeted ads aimed at Catholic voters, highlighting his commitment........

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