Religion in American Politics: A Case Study of the 2016 Presidential Elections

Research Article

Abstract

There are many dividing factors in the U.S. society including sex, race, economic capacity, politics etc. Apart from these components, religion is another indispensable variable essential in understanding U.S. society. In the U.S., religious influence is not limited to personal lives; it plays a significant role in U.S. politics at all levels ranging from state politics to Presidential Elections. Predominantly, the U.S. society is divided between believers and non-believers wherein the former have had a greater share in societal composition, but over time this ratio has been tilting in favor of non-believers. Hence, the changing dynamics and statistics of believers and non-believers in the U.S. will, this essay argues, certainly have an impact on future politics, especially Presidential Elections. This article, therefore, evaluates the role of religion in shaping political and civic life in the U.S., especially its contribution to the US Presidential Elections. More specifically, the article studies the role of religion in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections to argue that Christian Nationalism and faith-based organizations contributed to the victory of President Donald Trump in the 2016 elections.