Religion and U.S. Political Parties Richard M. Skinner

Religion and U.S. Political Parties Religion affects voting and party identification in three fundamental ways.

Religion and U.S. Political Parties Religiosity: the higher the degree of religious observance (i.e., church attendance, frequency of prayer), the more Republican. In 2008, 55% of those who attend services weekly voted for McCain; only 30% of those who never attend did. About 40% of Americans say they attend services weekly or more. Religiosity is the single strongest predictor of voters’ opinions about abortion.

Religion and U.S. Political Parties Traditionalism: the more traditional the religious beliefs (i.e., a personal God who answers prayer, Heaven and Hell exist), the more Republican.

Religion and U.S. Political Parties Denomination: Evangelical Protestants are the most Republican, seculars and Jews are the least; Roman Catholics. and Mainline Protestants are in the middle.

Religion and U.S. Political Parties These differences apply only to white Americans; religion has no effect on African-Americans’ voting and party identification. There is some evidence that Hispanic evangelicals vote more Republican than other Hispanics.

White Evangelical Protestants White Evangelical Protestants have emerged as the most socially conservative, most Republican-voting major religious group. In 2008, 73% of white evangelicals voted for McCain. This was a fairly typical figure.

White Evangelical Protestants Evangelicals are the voters most opposed to abortion, gay rights and pornography. They tend to support traditional gender roles.

White Evangelical Protestants Evangelicals provide the principal support for the “intelligent design” movement. They have also emerged as fervent supporters of Israel and the Iraq War.

White Evangelical Protestants Evangelicals believe: –The Bible is the literally true word of God. –Christians need to have a “born-again” experience. –Christians need to spread their faith to others.

White Evangelical Protestants Leading evangelical denominations: –Baptists –Pentecostals (e.g., Assemblies of God) –Various fundamentalist groups. –Many evangelicals belong to non- denominational churches.

White Evangelical Protestants These include “mega-churches,” such as Saddleback Church, Orange County, CA, home to Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life. 22,000 people attend services there every week.

White Evangelical Protestants Evangelicals first emerged as a key voting bloc in 1976, when many turned out to support the “born-again” Jimmy Carter.

White Evangelical Protestants In the 1980s, they turned heavily Republican, backing Ronald Reagan, appreciating his anti-abortion and anti- Communist views.

White Evangelical Protestants More recently, they have been the bulwark of George W. Bush’s political support. While Bush belongs to a mainline denomination (Methodist), he has been public in his faith in a fashion that appeals to many evangelicals.

White Evangelical Protestants A former head of the Arkansas Baptist Convention, Mike Huckabee enjoyed strong support from his fellow evangelicals in Republican primaries.

White Evangelical Protestants In his emotional, down-home style, Huckabee fit with a longstanding evangelical tradition. On the Southern frontier, uneducated “farmer-preachers” baptized believers in backwoods creeks and held services outdoors or in barns. They took pride in preaching in language their followers could understand.

White Evangelical Protestants Evangelicals are concentrated in the South, and have been critical to the region’s swing to the GOP.

Mormons While Mormons and evangelicals disagree on theology, they share conservative views. Mormons are concentrated in the West.

Mormons Mitt Romney enjoyed overwhelming support from his fellow Mormons: in Utah, 94% of Mormons voted for him. But many evangelicals viewed him with suspicion.

White Mainline Protestants Traditionally, mainline Protestants provided the base of the Republican Party. They also served as the nation’s religious “establishment.” Both roles have declined significantly, especially as many mainline denominations have lost members. In 2008, 55% of white mainline Protestants voted for McCain.

White Mainline Protestants Mainline Protestants hold moderate views on most cultural issues, more liberal than evangelicals, more conservative than seculars. They tend to hold more tolerant views of other faiths than do evangelicals. They also are more willing to accept that the Bible may not be entirely literally true.

White Mainline Protestants Leading mainline denominations –Methodists: South, Midwest –Lutherans: Midwest, Pennsylvania –Presbyterians: Midwest, Upper South, Pennsylvania –Episcopalians: East Coast –United Church of Christ: Northeast, Upper Midwest Mainline churches are traditionally stronger among more affluent, better educated citizens.

White Mainline Protestants Mainline denominations tended to take the more liberal stand on a series of issues that split American Protestantism in the early 20 th century: –The “Social Gospel.” –Acceptance of modern science, e.g., evolution, geology. –The ecumenical movement. –The interpretation of the Bible.

White Mainline Protestants Mainline denominations tend to be strongest in the Northeast, Midwest and the Upper South.

Roman Catholics Roman Catholics traditionally voted heavily Democratic. When Catholic immigrants came to 19 th Century America, they arrived in a staunchly Protestant land long fearful of their Church. Meanwhile, the 19 th -century Vatican was suspicious of “the American way of life,” especially the separation of church and state.

Roman Catholics Despite these obstacles, the Catholic Church thrived in America. Many issues separated Protestants and Catholics: –Alcohol –Birth control –Gambling –The role of Catholic schools –Few of these issues remain important in American politics.

Roman Catholics Catholics began to move away from the Democratic Party in the 1970s and 1980s. Many Catholics were dismayed by the party’s liberal tilt on issues such as abortion. Traditionally working-class, Catholics moved into the middle class and suburbia after World War II. The traditional Protestant-Catholic divide lost most of its meaning, as members of both faiths adopted more tolerant attitudes.

Roman Catholics In 2008, 52% of white Roman Catholics voted for McCain. More observant Catholics vote more Republican, less observant ones vote more Democratic. Like mainline Protestants, Catholics hold moderate views on most social issues, although more traditional Catholics do oppose abortion strongly. Catholics overall have opinions on abortion close to the national average.

Roman Catholics Catholics are concentrated in the Northeast and Industrial Midwest.

Seculars “Seculars” are people who report no religious affiliation or activity. They are not necessarily atheists or agnostics. They are among the most liberal voters on issues such as abortion, gay rights, and pornography. Some data show this to be the fastest growing religious category of Americans. Perhaps 1/6 of voters is classified as secular.

Seculars As more religious voters have moved toward the Republicans, seculars have become an important Democratic voting bloc. Only 23% of seculars voted for McCain in No other religious group has trended as strongly toward the Democrats. Seculars tend to be concentrated in big cities, in the Northeast, and the West.

Jews Since the New Deal, Jews have been a solidly Democratic voting bloc. In 2008, only 21% voted for McCain, dashing earlier hopes of a Republican breakthrough.

Jews Jews have a long history of being concerned with social justice and the separation of church and state. They also tend to be strongly liberal on issues such as abortion, gay rights and gender roles. They are concentrated in the Northeast, California and Florida.

Other Religions Data is scarce on non-Judeo-Christian religious groups such as Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. Many members of such groups are immigrants and may not vote in large numbers. They do seem to lean Democratic: only 22% voted for McCain. They also appear to be concentrated in larger metro areas such as New York and Los Angeles.

Other Religions Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) was the first Muslim in Congress. UN Ambassador Zalmay Khalilizad was the first Muslim cabinet-level official. Reps. Hank Johnson (D-GA) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) are the first Buddhists in Congress.