BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Trump courts evangelicals in Iowa ahead of caucuses

  • Evangelical voters rejected Trump in Iowa in 2016
  • Since then, he's gained traction in the core demographic
  • Some see him as sent by God to be president

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

maylen

https://digital-stage.newsnationnow.com/

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

(NewsNation) — The Iowa caucuses are approaching, and one key voting block in the state is evangelical Christians.

Faith leaders in Iowa say there is no path to the nomination without getting the support of evangelical voters. That’s one group former President Donald Trump has focused on.

Eight years ago, in 2016, Trump didn’t win the GOP Iowa caucuses. That year, 64% of evangelicals in Iowa turned out to vote. Sen. Ted Cruz actually clinched the nomination with 34% of Iowa’s evangelical vote, with Trump coming in just ahead of Sen. Marco Rubio with 21%.

Trump has upped his ground game this time around, focusing on grassroots operations and smaller venues as well as the counties he lost in northwest Iowa. He has events scheduled in Sioux City and Cherokee, Iowa, over the weekend.

That area is the heart of the state’s evangelical demographic, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is also working hard to court those voters.

Currently, 51% of evangelicals appear to support Trump, with 26% for DeSantis and 12% supporting former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

So what’s changed for Trump since 2016?

Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition President Steve Scheffler said one reason is that Trump showed he would make good on promises made during his campaign.

“One was when he promised several times and finally convinced people that, if he were elected, he would pick Supreme Court, appellate court, district court nominees out of a list provided to him by the Heritage Foundation,” he said.

Scheffler also said Trump choosing Mike Pence to serve as vice president reassured evangelicals who liked Pence’s track record.

Voters also like Trump’s boldness, feeling that he will fight for their values, and some even see him as sent by God to do the job of president of the United States.

2024 Election

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Fair

la

49°F Fair Feels like 49°
Wind
0 mph N
Humidity
66%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 51F. Winds light and variable.
51°F Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 51F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph ENE
Precip
15%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Last Quarter