Protestant Vote

AMONG OTHER DEVELOPED countries, the United States stands out as remaining a highly religious country. Not only is it religious, it is mostly Christian and Protestant. By virtue of this demographic, the Protestant vote is amongst the most important blocs in American politics. In fact, it is nearly impossible to win the White House without seriously appealing to Protestant [Page 681]voters. Protestantism, whether practiced or nominal, is self-identified by approximately 60 percent of the population. In the political arena, the Protestant vote is often associated with the Republican Party. However, Protestantism, especially in the United States, is largely decentralized, which has led to a highly independent and libertarian group of people.

Regionalism also plays a role, since there are a greater number of self-identifying Protestants in the south relative to the rest of the country. Yet, there are still significant numbers of Protestants in the other regions of the country and the Protestant vote goes to both major parties. Within the Protestant vote, the issue of race plays an important role. The racial difference is that upwards of 90 percent of African Americans have voted for the Democratic Party in recent elections. This stands in stark contrast to white Protestant voters, especially white Evangelical voters. Overwhelmingly, African-American Protestants will vote for Democrats based on issues such as poverty and affirmative action.

Protestantism has hundreds of different categories and denominations. There is a significant difference between what is considered a mainline Protestant (for example Lutheran, Episcopalian, or Presbyterian), an Evangelical, and a fundamentalist. Although both fundamentalists and Evangelicals are born again, Evangelicals tend to emphasize a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the key to salvation. The simplest distinction between the two groups is that a fundamentalist tends to take a very literal translation of the Bible, whereas an Evangelical will look at the meaning behind the text. Upwards of one-third of Americans are Evangelical Christians, and this bloc, in particular, has been influential in electing Republican presidents in recent years. Evangelicals and fundamentalists vote for the Republican Party, whereas mainline Protestants are much more split.