Both Nikki Haley and Tim Scott have been part of influential S.C. churches, and as candidates of color must appeal to their party’s White evangelical base to have a prayer against former President Donald Trump, whose hold on the GOP and its Christian voters remains strong.
Ron DeSantis’s religious rhetoric and hard-charging policies are at the center of his outreach to White evangelicals. And yet, when it comes to his own Catholicism, the culture warrior is much more guarded, rarely mentioning the specifics of his faith and practice.
Southern Baptists form a core part of the White evangelical Christian bloc that has reliably and overwhelmingly voted Republican in recent elections, and is expected to again in 2024. But Southern Baptists are weighing their options in the GOP presidential primary field.
In this issue of A Public Witness, we look at the enduring influence of White evangelicals within the GOP power structure, the early stages of the 2024 presidential campaign, and what it tells us to expect in the months and years ahead.