Premium
Religious Influences in the 2004 Presidential Election
Author(s) -
GUTH JAMES L.,
KELLSTEDT LYMAN A.,
SMIDT CORWIN E.,
GREEN JOHN C.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
presidential studies quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.337
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 1741-5705
pISSN - 0360-4918
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-5705.2006.00300.x
Subject(s) - presidential election , victory , political science , presidential system , politics , political economy , restructuring , public administration , sociology , law
In this article, we examine the impact of religious variables on the vote in the 2004 presidential election. First, we review and evaluate two theories that underlie many interpretations of religion’s role in American electoral politics, namely, the ethnoreligious and the religious restructuring perspectives. Using both approaches, we deploy a comprehensive classification incorporating religious affiliations, beliefs, and practices that is quite successful in capturing the electoral impact of religion. We show that religious groups exhibited distinctive political priorities, attitudes toward the role of religion in the election, stands on critical campaign issues, and evaluations of President Bush’s performance in office. We find that some religious factors had an important role in the Republican victory, especially in the so‐called battleground states. Finally, we discuss some substantive implications of the findings for understanding public policies and policy making.