DALLAS - In a country where religion plays a big role in politics, U.S. Democrats have made some big gains with voters of faith.
A number of exit polls have shown that President-elect Barack Obama narrowed the “God gap” that existed when President George W. Bush, a Republican, defeated Democratic challenger John Kerry in 2004.
According to Faith in Public Life, a non-partisan resource center, and Public Religion Research, Obama increased the Democratic share of the tally among all groups categorized by how often they attend church.
The groups noted that he made his biggest gains among voters who attend church more than once a week, “narrowing a 29-point Republican advantage (64 percent - 35 percent) to a 12-point Republican advantage (55 percent - 43 percent). This represents an 8-point increase among a strongly Republican group.”
Other highlights it noted included:
- Obama won monthly attenders 53 percent to 46 percent, while Kerry lost them 49 percent to 51 percent, a 4-point pickup.
- Obama beat Republican rival John McCain soundly among Catholics (55 percent to 44 percent), performing better than Kerry in 2004 and Democrat Al Gore in 2000.
- Among white Catholics, Obama narrowed the Republican advantage from Bush’s 13-
point advantage (56 percent to 43 percent), with McCain holding only a 5-point advantage (52 percent to 47 percent).
- White evangelical Protestants remained the most reliable base for the Republican Party with McCain beating Obama among them 75 percent to 24 percent — falling only slightly short of Bush’s standing with them in 2004. This finding was similar to other exit polls such as CNN’s.
All of this is interesting stuff and highlights, among other things, Obama’s success in wooing religious voters through an outreach program and his own overt gestures of faith.
His small inroads with evangelical voters show that some in this diversifying movement hope he will support their efforts as they broaden their biblical agenda to include the fight against climate change.
His gains elsewhere, such as among Catholics, probably stem from many factors including voter concerns about the economy, which overshadowed almost everything else in the last few weeks of the election.
Going foward it raises a big question: can the Democrats hold their gains among voters of faith and even narrow the “God gap” further? What do you think?
Trackback
38 comments so far
Previous | 2 | 1 | Next
douglas yes i listened to your argument but my believes are not tainted by a political undertone.a past paster of mine who was also a professor of theology ,he taught that the souls under the alter,in revelation ,asking when will we be revenged are the souls of the aborted.do i believe steves is not motivated by a political bias ,i don,t know?.but the mention of his years as a minister ,what church?our group started a ministry into a school and we asked a vicar of a failing church to join us, as an encouragement to him .when asked if he would like to address the students at there graduation, he agreed and his opening statement was “children don,t believe every thing you read in the bible’.you and steve are like many who believe in gray areas ,my faiths reality is, even the thought of excepting abortion is immoral.sorry.
- Posted by brian leeBrian Lee,
As minister Steve says, the abortion topic certainly evokes emotion. But your beliefs on this matter are not Christian, simply because the Bible says nothing about abortion. I know that God knew me before I was in my mother’s womb too — but that’s just as true whether a person begins at conception or if a person begins at birth (or at 13 years old, for that matter). I’ll say it again — murder is wrong, and killing babies is obviously wrong, but you can’t kill a person that doesn’t exist. Before viability, a fetus can’t think, can’t feel pain, has no memories, in short can’t do anything that a conscious person can do. Why is that? Because it is *not a person*. Forcing a woman to keep an unwanted pregnancy is immoral. And finally, we have a president who knows that supporting such intolerance and irrationality is immoral.
- Posted by DouglasRepublicans will never ban abortion as long as they are getting all the single-issue voters “for free”. Those who vote pro-life without considering anything else are giving the Republicans a pass to do whatever they want without holding them accountable. They would be politically foolish to overturn Roe v. Wade.
- Posted by Patty PTo Dean in Orlando.
“The truth of God’s word is intolerant.” As a minister for the past 31 years, I respectfully disagree. My God is loving and forgiving. There is not a soul on this earth that hasn’t or won’t sin. We aren’t a perfect people. But scripture does say that we can be forgiven. And that we must forgive others as well. No where does it say we must be intolerant of others.
Abortion is a topic that certainly evokes emotion, but doesn’t have any basis in scripture. I do know when a fetus is able to survive on it’s own that it should be protected, nurtured, etc. Until then, it’s part of the women. And as a man, I’m not sure I am qualified to tell a women what to do in that situation. I can’t experience a pregnancy. And only God can judge others - and I don’t ever want to try.
- Posted by steve in ChicagoIf Obama embarks upon his promised program of liberal social values and thereby embarks upon policies that spurn the Christian Values that have made the USA and flouts the truth and wisdom of the Bible; he will further destroy families. In these circumstances it is probable that those professing Christians who have been taken in with the electioneering hype and casual overt gestures of faith will identify the sham and leave Obama out in the cold. It is absolute hypocrisy to say you are a friend of the Lord Jesus the author of life and at the same time condone the killing of aborted babies.
- Posted by Ken SavemoaNo he can’t. His election was for economic reasons and flies in teh face of a contrary movement - i.e. away from Democratic positions - on non-economic issues. Votes on key moral issues in states like California show the US moving in a more conservative direction. If moves to liberalise policy in non-economic areas before sorting out the economy first, he may encounter a significant backlash.
- Posted by Marc Colemanhi nick i take on board what say ,the category of these blogs are faith based so the drift should be from a spiritual point of view.i am a believer and my faith transends everything .i have heard so many distortions from people who profess to be believers to advance the suitability of their candidate it,s remarkable one poster suggested that if jesus was here today he would support abortion,i did not vote for obama but he is now my president and god bless him .but i hope he sticks to his principles better than some of his supporters
- Posted by brian leePolitics and religion mixed can be a dangerous concoction, we don’t live in a bipolar world and as such I keep faith and “worldly” politics well separated. Will Obama succeed in the next election? It all depends on his politics that impact believers (of all faiths) and nonbelievers alike, not on what fate he has (or indeed if he has faith at all).
- Posted by Nick[...] Can Democrats hold gains they made with faith voters? Obama beat Republican rival John McCain soundly among Catholics (55 percent to 44 percent), performing better than Kerry in 2004 and Democrat Al Gore in 2000. - Among white Catholics, Obama narrowed the Republican advantage from Bush’s … [...]
- Posted by Can Democrats hold gains they made with faith voters? at Republicans On Best Political Blogsto dougles molecular biologist ,did you divulge this information to impress?i hope it s try and validate your opinion.i am a blue collar guy and i have not got “the inteligence of men’i come before the lord with the faith of a child,and i know the lord knew me before i was in my mothers womb not the first or second term,i walk by faith and not by sight,and i know my redeemer lives, god bless,
- Posted by brian lee“Many will say to me on that day ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matt 7: 22-23 NIV
I think the point here is that not all who claim to be a Christian are a genuine child of God. Christianity is not an activity, or a belief system. To be a Christian is a lifestyle, a world view. Therefore, as a Christian there are principals that cannot be negotiated. There is absolute truth. The world sees truth as relative. What is good for you is ok, and what is good for me is ok. Everything is relative. In a biblical world view there are absolutes. The world calls absolutes “Narrow minded” too “exclusive” or the buzz word of the day “Intolerant”. At the end of the day the nature of a Christian is not the same as the natural or carnal man. The Christian has the nature of God. Given this reality, it is no wonder that those who do not know Christ cannot understand the nature of Christ…or the Christian. The truth of God’s word is intolerant. Intolerant of sin. It is also exclusive, to those who believe on the Lord. This is why issues such as abortion, or same sex marriage are not negotiable in the truth. Those who claim to be a Christian in one breath and then tolerate that which is detestable to the Lord are not in fellowship with the Lord…and are lost, likely never saved because one could not accept that which is not the nature of God if they were also of the nature of God.
Most of the issues in politics today are a narrative of differing secular opinions, Economic policy, foreign policy, taxes, regulation etc. There are however at least two issues that are a nonstarter for a true believer. Abortion and same sex marriage.
- Posted by Dean in OrlandoSheldon
If you ‘ban’ faith from decision making, you force people of faith to accept humanistic values, which is really just someone else’s ‘faith’. Why are you so narrow minded? Why do you demand everything be your way? Why do you want to force your position on everyone of faith? You are a hypocrite.
- Posted by RichAs a Christian, the beliefs of Alan Keyes and his convictions are the unwavering. Keyes is a black Republican who is ultra-conservative. He is a Harvard man who has been fighting for rights and trying to gain enough votes to run for president. He has debated Obama on several occasions and says that Obama speaks out of both sides of his mouth. Why would a non-black person be labeled a racist if they didn’t vote for Obama, but were a Alan Keyes supporter? That makes no sense. It is about what is right and wrong. “Obama Voted NO on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.” “Keyes was with Black ministers in D.C., and stated his support of the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would ban same-sex marriages. Keyes said Obama wants it both ways as he seeks the gay vote while stating he opposes marriage.
- Posted by BethObama does back civil unions for gays.” Obama is also biracial, 1/2 white, 1/2 black. Keyes is 100% black. For many people of all races,the issue at hand is not the color of the skin, but what is right and wrong in the eyes of the Lord.
Enough of the religion nonsense! Hasn’t America suffered enough with the “values” nut cases shoving their beliefs down the throats of folks just trying to make ends meet? The problem with the Evangelical Christian movement is that they manipulated the facts on issues like abortion, stem cell research, guns and gays and made them “God issues” when, in fact, they are “people, human issues” and involve choices that are “personal and altogether private”! Then the Republican Party figured out that they had a significant voting block and incorporated the Evangelical Christian movement into their party philosophy. As recent and past history demonstrates, that kind of insane misuse of religion is corrupt and results in dangerous trends that move a Democracy where is should not go.
- Posted by Sheldon Kayemessege to tim you are right.jesus loves everybody,so do i including unborn babies.
- Posted by brian leeAbortion as a form of murder of babies should stop. We can more successfully control population by denying health care and starting new wars in the name of freedom.
- Posted by ira waxmannNetman995-
There is a world of difference between having a right and being right. I believe people have the right to be wrong. You don’t. That’s the simple difference.
- Posted by DouglasCan someone explain to me how a person who describes themselves as Christian can vote for a person who is nominated by a party that supports abortion & homosexuality? If you plan on answering that there were more important issues surrounding this election then what you are really saying is that they are not the true essence of Christ. Anyone can call themselves Christian but to truely believe in Christ means to try as hard as you can to BE like Christ. Although none of us will ever be like Christ this one is a no brainer. You vote for the person/party that supports the ideals of our God.
- Posted by Netman995