The Political Transformation of White Evangelical Protestants

October 26, 2022

White evangelical Christians have been an important Republican constituency for years, but their partisan commitments have undergone a remarkable change over the past two decades. In 1998, only slightly more than half (53 percent) of white evangelical Christians identified as a Republican or said they leaned towards the GOP. Twenty years later, more than three-quarters (76 percent) of white evangelical Christians are Republican. Over this time, the percentage identifying or leaning towards the Democratic Party has dropped considerably as well. Only 19 percent of white evangelical Christians are Democrats today, down from 41 percent in 1998.