Despite the growing threat of secularism in America, Christians comprise more than 70 percent of voters and Mormons and Evangelicals prove to be a deciding factor in who gets elected.
If we look at the data and anecdotal reports that have been compiled from the last five presidential races, Mormons and Evangelical Christians tend to overwhelmingly vote Republican. However, candidates and salient issues of the day have them trending between parties to some degree.
Evangelicals, Mormons and George W. Bush
Other than Pres. Trump, perhaps no other president suffered greater and more hateful assaults from the secular Liberal media. Despite eight years of trench warfare with outlets such as CNN, Pres. Bush was re-elected in a near-landslide to a second term in 2004. He tallied 286 electoral votes, putting the tightly contested 2000 election in the rearview.
Even a cursory look at voter turnout shows that Christians flocked to his side. An impressive 78 percent of Evangelicals supported Pres. Bush and a massive 80 percent of Mormons backed the “compassionate conservative’s” cause. The majority of Protestants and Catholics also leaned Right while unaffiliated, atheists and agnostics favored Al Gore and John Kerry by more than 60 percent.
Although the Bush presidency was not a watershed event for people of Faith, he placed tremendous emphasis on issues such as partial-birth abortions. The murder of viable, healthy babies shook the core beliefs of Christians at the time. Pres. Bush was pitted against candidates that wanted to expand access to abortion.
In many ways, Pres. Bush emulated the type of everyday Christians that strive to overcome sin and things that lure people away from the path. His reported drinking and other problems in his youth and college days were tangible to church-going folks. He had strayed from the message, regained his religious convictions and gone on to run for president of the United States. He was every Christians’ spiritual success story. To many people of Faith, Pres. Bush was born-again. Likewise, he openly embraced the teachings of Jesus Christ and Mormons supported his religious sincerity.
The Faithful and Pres. Donald J. Trump
The Reality TV star and business mogul did little to connect with Mormons. In fact, Pres. Trump’s support slipped from 80 percent under Bush, and 78 for Mitt Romney to a low 61 percent among the group. That seemed to effectively put the heavily populated state of Utah up for grabs. Fortunately for Trump, strong Independent voting helped him carry the state while earning less than 50 percent of the total. Secularist Hillary Clinton only received mid-20 percent support.
The primary issue for the Conservative-leaning Mormons was reconciling Pres. Trump’s three marriages, racy lifestyle and brash talk. He managed to capture a meager 36 percent of their support in Utah. It was an unprecedented GOP low. This is not to say Mormons voted Democrat. They did not. In large part, they stayed home or voted for third-party candidates.
The last presidential election was carried, overwhelmingly, by Evangelical Christians. Pres. Trump received more than 80 percent of their support and widespread enthusiasm. Pres. Trump had significant in-roads with Evangelicals, having a relationship with leaders such as Jerry Falwell Jr.
Evangelicals are a major swing-state voting bloc and that helped him carry Florida. When Democrats and Left-leaning media reported Trump had no path to the presidency, they discounted Evangelicals and their voice was heard all the way to the White House.
Why Evangelicals Vote Republican
There has been a preoccupation and gross misconception by mainstream media outlets that Evangelicals key voting concern is rooted in abortion. When White Evangelicals were polled by LifeWay Research, only 4 percent consider this issue a primary voting factor. The Pew Research Center ranked the issues that are “very important” to Evangelicals as follows.
- Terrorism: 89 percent
- Economy: 87 percent
- Immigration: 78 percent
- Foreign Policy: 78 percent
- Gun Policy: 77 percent
- Supreme Court Nominations: 70 percent
- Health Care: 70 percent
- Social Security: 70 percent
- Trade Policy: 62 percent
- Education: 52 percent
- Abortion: 52 percent
These important issues appear to be diametrically opposed to the “identity politics” and anti-business slate of topics Democrats have pushed throughout the 21st Century. Evangelicals appear to support core meat and potatoes issues such as security, prosperity and well-being.
The growing number of GOP candidates that now comprise a majority in the House, Senate and Presidency reflect the political will of Christians, predominately Evangelicals.
~ Christian Patriot Daily
