A Narrowing of the "God" Gap

The Religious Gap is the trend that has been occurring in which the most religious Christians are voting Republican, and the least devout are voting Democrat. In the midterm election, this gap narrowed a bit, as the number of religious voters voting Republican going from 58/41 in 2004 to 51/48 this year.

In addition to the most devout, other religious groups voted more towards the Democrats as well. Catholics voted Democrat 57/42 this year, up from 52/47 in 2004. Evangelical Christians voted for Democrats at a rate of 29 percent, up from 21 percent in 2004.

The article, found on Beliefnet.com, also mentioned the increased number of pro-life Democrats that will be in Congress this year. It cited that because of the Iraq war, the Democrats had gained both houses, but they must be able to appeal to more “centrist religious voters” in order to maintain Congress once the war is less prominent.

What could be interesting out of this is how democrats in Congress will react to the more conservative democrats who have come into the houses as a reaction to the war. The author suggests that Democrats will need a more moderate view on abortion, among other things. However, what will that mean to the entire concept of American politics, if the median voter theory begins to hold true in the United States?