Will Candidates Start to Run from Religion?

“A Presidential candidate bringing up their faith on the campaign trail has been a long-standing part of the Election season, often with at least one exchange where the competitors try to prove that they are more devout than the others. But with new data indicating that less and less Americans are identifying themselves with a particular religion, will we see people running for office backing away from that sensitive topic?” That’s the premise and question posed by my co-host, Shawna Vercher in our latest edition of Dare We Say.

New studies indicate that the number of Christians has decreased eight percent and many Millennials are not identifying with any religion, indicating that religious declarations are not the campaign winners they might once have been.  Bringing up God during a campaign can sometimes appear insincere and, frankly, like pandering. When it comes to sincere religious beliefs, we may be a bit suspicious of politicians’ manipulations on that front.
Shawna Vercher, author and media strategist, agreed that the days of religion being an upfront talking point are numbered. “Politicians use their religion as a way to bond with who they believe the voters are…but now it seems that being a Protestant Christian is not something that automatically bonds you with a majority of your voters.”
Watch the latest episode of Dare We Say as Shawna nd I discuss the nation’s two favorite hot button issues: religion and politics.