Are Religious Voters Turning on Trump? Melissa Deckman on the 2026 Midterms

The religious vote is often treated as shorthand for white evangelical Christians. PRRI CEO and political scientist Melissa Deckman says that misses much of what is happening ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Deckman joins Faithful Politics to examine which religious voters may actually be moving, including white Catholics, white mainline Protestants, Hispanic Catholics, and Hispanic Protestants. She explains why immigration and the economy are affecting Hispanic religious voters, how gender is reshaping politics among Christian women, and why younger Americans are increasingly disconnected from both political parties and organized religion. melissa-josh-will

The conversation also explores Christian nationalism, Gen Z, abortion, James Talarico and the emerging visibility of progressive Christianity in Democratic politics. Deckman also explains how to read political polling without being misled by small samples, margins of error, or surveys that confirm what we already want to believe.

Book: The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy
Author: Melissa Deckman
Bookshop.org: The Politics of Gen Z on Bookshop.org

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Melissa Deckman, Ph.D., is CEO of PRRI and a political scientist specializing in religion, gender, age, public opinion, and American political behavior. She previously served as the Louis L. Goldstein Professor of Public Affairs at Washington College and chaired its political science department. She is the author of several books, including The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy.