By Courtney Campbell
On Feb.1, presidential candidate Ted Cruz won the Iowa caucus. His religious views most likely helped him win over the evangelical state.
According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, most Americans believe it is important for a president to have strong religious beliefs. This belief becomes stronger depending on location.
Dan Freeman, NBC embed in Iowa, believes that in a religious state like Iowa faith plays a larger role in the election. Though he said religion is more impactful on the Republican side, there were also evangelical Democrats contributing to Cruz’s support.
“Down in the South there are a lot of evangelicals and people tend to vote with someone who is more religious and shares the same views on religious issues in that they are pro-life,” Freeman said. “In the more moderate or liberal states though, the Republicans typically vote based on the economic platform, not because a candidate is religious.”
One of the biggest liabilities a presidential candidate can have is to be an atheist. According to the survey, half of United States adults would be less likely to vote for a candidate who does not believe in God, with only 6 percent saying they would be more likely to vote for a non-believer.
Michael Skube, associate professor of communications at Elon University and former political reporter for Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Raleigh News & Observer, said the only religion that would hurt a candidate more than atheism is being Muslim. Voters are 42 percent less likely to support them, according to the survey.
The only candidate this is not seen in is Donald Trump, who has plenty of Republican support but 47 percent don’t see him as religious. This was seen on Feb. 9, when he won the New Hampshire primary.
According to the Pew Research Center survey, of the 56 percent of GOP voters who think Trump would make a good president, only 5 percent sees him as very religious. But with Cruz, Rubio and Carson, almost all Republicans who think they would be a good president view them as somewhat religious.
“Trump has ambiguous faith, but conservatives are supporting him because they like what he’s saying — not where he’s spending his Sundays,” said Jason Husser, assistant professor of political science and policy studies.
Husser believes that though religion was important when choosing a candidate eight years ago, it is becoming less of a factor as fewer people are attending church. According to the survey, 68 percent believe that religion is beginning to lose its influence on U.S. life.
This is the case with many Elon students who come from New England.
Though freshman Gaby Lopez attended a Catholic high school in Connecticut and attends church weekly, she doesn’t consider herself a religious person and does not think about religion when choosing a candidate.
“I guess faith matters for certain people, but not for me,” Lopez said. “The United States has always been separate from church and state, so religion doesn’t get too involved.”
Senior Lauryl Fisher believes that religious beliefs can shift a candidates stance on issues, but she does not consider it to be the number one importance when voting.
“I don’t think about religion,” she said. “I think about their personal beliefs. Their opinions on foreign policy and domestic affairs are what matters most.”
Courtney Campbell 