Evangelical Electoral Behavior during 2016 and 2020 Presidential Elections in the United States

Abstract

Religious interference in the US politics has always been a matter of academic debate. This dissertation examines the electoral behavior of Evangelicals and their effect on results of presidential elections in the United States, taking the elections of 2016 and 2020 as a case study. It argues that President Trump enjoyed strong white Evangelical support during 2016, which was not affected neither by the Democrats' complaints against him, nor by the negative perceptions of his personal character. The present study goes further in analyzing factors behind such support which sparked controversy, as Trump does not know any verse of the Bible. White Evangelicals largely see Trump as fighting for their beliefs and advancing their interests; a reason to vote for him again in 2020. In addition, the dissertation sheds light on highlighting whether all members of the target religious group expressed the same voting behavior for Trump in both election dates or there were exceptions.