Farewell to Faith? The Changing Role of Religion in Presidential Politics

Abstract

The 2012 Presidential election was the first in United States history in which neither party nominated a white Protestant for president, or for vice-president. The distinctiveness of the candidates’ religious identities, combined with the central role of religion in the last half century of presidential campaigns, suggested that religion would likewise be central in 2012. But religion did not appear to play a central role, at least on the surface. The candidates’ religious identities barely surfaced as an issue, and religious issues and leaders likewise remained on the sideline. The reasons were twofold. First, the candidates themselves neutralized the issue of faith, since neither stood to gain from making his own or his opponent’s faith an issue. Second, the nation’s changing religious demographics limited the effectiveness of appeals to religion. The result was a changed relationship between religion and presidential politics that will characterize elections for many decades to come. In light of such changes, Christians would do well to consider the ways that they invoke religion and history in the political sphere.