fall 2008 - Northwestern College

Professor of political science and
director of the Henry Institute at
Calvin College, Dr. Corwin Smidt
’68 has served as an investigator for
five national surveys on religion and
politics conducted during presidential
elections. Author or editor of 12
books, including Pews, Prayers and
Participation: The Role of Religion
in Fostering Civic Responsibility
(Georgetown University Press), he
is currently co-editing the Oxford
Handbook on Religion and American
Politics (Oxford University Press).
During the 2008 presidential campaign,
he has been quoted in many national
and international newspapers. Smidt
received Northwestern’s Distinguished
Professional Achievement Award
in 1996.
pAUL STOUB
After the 2004 victory of Bush over Kerry, much was made of the
religious divide in the election. Exit polls revealed that large numbers of
voters said moral values were the most important issue of the campaign
and that high percentages of those “values voters” voted for Bush. The
mobilization efforts of conservative Christians, particularly in states with
gay marriage initiatives on the ballot, received a lot of media coverage.
But the election divide was perhaps best captured by the relationship
between worship service attendance and candidate choice in 2004.
As voters went to church more, they became less likely to vote for
Democrats. And, following the election, a series of polls found that
only a small minority of Americans thought the Democratic Party was
“friendly to religion.”
Americans continue to vote according to their religious tradition
(affiliations); evangelical Protestants, for example, have become and
largely remain heavily Republican. But now Americans also increasingly
vote according to religious traditionalism (beliefs). These different
means by which religion can impact political alignment are not mutually
exclusive—religious tradition and traditionalism can both matter at the
same time.
What is unclear is what will happen next. Will the new order
(beliefs) erase the old order (affiliations), or vice versa? Or will they
continue to operate in conjunction with one another?
One Nation … Indivisible?
It’s likely the 2008 election will provide some answers to these
questions. Various political changes over the past four years provide new
opportunities for religious affiliations, rather than religious beliefs, to
shape this election.
For example, the presidential primary process has been marked, in
part, by efforts of Democratic candidates to appeal to religious voters.
The Christian Right is seemingly more fragmented, as old leaders such
as Jerry Falwell and James Kennedy have passed from the scene. And the
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FALL 2008