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Evangelicals, Issues, and the 2008 Iowa Caucuses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 November 2009

Kimberly H. Conger
Kimberly H. Conger*
Affiliation:
Iowa State University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Kimberly H. Conger, Department of Political Science, 515 Ross Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Evangelicals form the core of Republican constituencies in many states. This has been particularly true in Iowa, where the Christian Right has held significant influence in the Republican party for almost 20 years. However, recent scholarship has suggested that evangelicals, particularly younger ones, may be changing their candidate choices and partisanship due to dissatisfaction with Republican policies. Based on a unique study surveying caucus-goers' opinions after the January 2008 caucuses, I examine respondents' candidate preferences in light of their religious beliefs, issues preferences, and demographic identities. The results indicate that while evangelicals remain more conservative on social issues than their co-partisans in both parties, issues seem to make little difference in candidate choice. This conclusion suggests that Republican evangelicals remain committed to the importance of social issues – or at least to their evangelical identity – in their voting choices.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , April 2010 , pp. 130 - 149
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2009

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