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Democrat voters in America have starkly different views than Republicans on important social issues. New data is demonstrating another dramatic and consequential difference between Red and Blue Americans: Democrats are far more secular and that gap is only increasing.

Ryan Burge, a statistician and professor at Washington University in St. Louis, has posted a new report detailing just how stark this difference is. In fact, Professor Burge was not shy in titling his piece, “The Democrats Have a Religion Problem.” His subtitle is just as damning: “Most Americans are Still Christians – Democrats Seen to Have Forgotten.”

Burge opens his report with what he describes as “a true, simple, and profound fact.” He states that fact in two blunt parts.

• Eighty percent of the people who voted for Donald Trump identify as some type of Christian. It was 48% for Harris voters in 2024.
• Just 17% of Trump voters identified as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular.” Nearly half of Democrats in 2024 (45%) were non-religious.

These are stark differences, indeed. The drift toward secularism among Democrats from 2008 to 2024 looks like this.

Non-white Democrats have moved toward protestant Christianity since 2008, largely moving away from Catholicism. In terms of church or synagogue attendance, the differences look like this.

A remarkable 83% of white Democrats either never or very seldom attend any religious weekly meeting. Only 9% attend weekly services and 5% attend monthly. The same never/seldom attending number for non-white Democrats is 69%. However, the corresponding percentages for Republicans are 58% who never or seldom attend, while 32% attend weekly and 10% attend monthly.

This marks a 30% difference between white Democrats and all Republicans who never or seldom attend religious services, a 72% difference of those who attend weekly and a 50% split in those who attend monthly. That is a lot of secularism among white members of the Blue party. In fact, Burge calls it the “racial God gap” among Democrats and the rest of the country.

He also notes that Republican voters are largely unified in their national values.  Burge states, “If you’re working for the GOP, something along the lines of ‘God, Country, and Traditional Family Values’ resonates with nearly all your voters.” He reports a substantial racial and religious divide among Democrat voters. “Essentially, the party now has a large cohort of non-religious white voters alongside a diverse coalition of voters of color who remain deeply religious.”

White and Hispanic Democrats have gotten increasingly more secular, essentially doubling, while their Black and Asian voters have not shifted more secular by much between 2008 and 2024. Burge explains, “In other words, the ‘average American’ looks a lot like the ‘average Democrat of color’ in terms of religious activity.” But their white members are increasingly secular and liberal.

So, among Democrat politicos, Burge believes “a message of faith and values will probably turn off as many voters as it attracts” because “the party now has a large cohort of non-religious white voters alongside a diverse coalition of voters of color who remain deeply religious.”

“Democrats can’t win national elections on the backs of the non-religious alone, but they’ve also ceded large swaths of the Christian vote to Republicans. That leaves them with a coalition that risks alienating either Christians of color or secular whites, depending on how the message is framed,” Burge concludes.

Serious faith is a very important part of political power and appeal because the Christian faith informs so many serious moral issues. Republicans would do well to appreciate how important values voters driven by faith are to their future successes at the ballot box.

Democrats have an increasingly real electoral problem on their hands with their growing white secularist base as they try to hang onto religiously affiliated voters of color. In August, The New York Times documented how serious a problem this is for Democrats who are “hemorrhaging voters long before they even go to the polls.”

Democrats must solve their “racial God gap” fast if they hope to remain a viable party. It is very unlikely that they will, though, as they continue to play to the more extreme parts of their base.

Image from Shutterstock.

The conservative movement is full of intelligent, beautiful and ambitious women.

As a former beauty queen, it’s no surprise to me that many of them got their start in beauty pageants; I can tell you firsthand that pageants offer real, substantive life lessons.

I began competing in pageants when I was 18 months old and continued until I was 18.

It was never a full-time job — more like an extracurricular activity. I loved it because it challenged me to engage with my community, represent myself with poise and confidence, develop strong communication skills and grow as a person and leader.

During high school, I had the honor of serving my hometown community as a beauty queen for two years. In my junior year of high school, I served as Teen Miss Hemet and in my senior year as Miss Hemet. In those roles, my love for community service truly deepened. I participated in Chamber of Commerce events, welcomed new businesses into our local economy and used my title to serve men and women in assisted living. Those experiences strengthened my sense of civic responsibility and taught me how powerful it can be to use your platform to make a positive difference in other people’s lives.

There’s a common misconception that pageants are all superficial with no substance. The truth is, they can be powerful tools for personal growth and leadership development.

Some of the most valuable lessons I learned in pageants include,

• Public speaking and communication — learning to express myself clearly and with confidence.

• Grace under pressure — performing and thinking on my feet in stressful situations.

• Personal image and discipline — understanding the value of a first impression and the importance of perseverance.

• Community engagement — learning to serve, advocate and lead with purpose.

• Resilience and confidence — handling criticism, setbacks and competition with courage.

• Maintaining a teachable spirit — staying open to growth and recognizing progression is built on a willingness to keep learning.

Erika Kirk is a shining example of how pageantry can shape a young woman into a poised, articulate and influential leader. Her ability to communicate with grace and strength in the face of adversity has made her a beloved figure among young conservatives today.

Kristi Noem is another example of a conservative leader who developed poise, communication skills and public presence through pageantry. As she rose in political leadership, those foundational experiences helped prepare her for the responsibilities of serving as governor of South Dakota and now Secretary of Homeland Security.

Kirk and Noem illustrate that beauty pageants aren’t just about crowns and sashes — it’s about building the skills, confidence and character to be successful in life.

Pageant alumnae are an excellent fit for the conservative movement because conservatism values ambitious, intelligent and thoughtful women. Conservatives celebrate the talents beauty queens develop and honor marriage and motherhood as powerful, meaningful expressions of womanhood.

For some, pageants can seem shallow because of its emphasis on outward beauty. At the heart of it all is a simple truth: pageantry may celebrate beauty, but true beauty comes from within — and that’s what sets it apart from a superficial display.

Even though I didn’t always walk away with the crown and sash, the most important lesson I learned from beauty pageants was that true beauty was a reflection of inner beauty — and that kind of beauty never fades — it grows more radiant with time.

For many of us who were contestants and followers of Jesus, we understood that we reflected the Light of the World. That foundation of faith, combined with the strength and grace learned through pageantry, is what makes so many pageant alumnae powerful voices in our culture today.

Image from Getty.

When conservative Christians express their unqualified love and appreciation of America and back it up with involvement in politics and the public square, they easily get tarred as Christian Nationalists. In fact, CNN recently feared Charlie Kirk’s massive memorial service in Phoenix was a demonstration in Christian nationalism.

Patriotism by anyone, much less faithful Christians, should never be assumed a threat.

Daniel Darling, pastor and director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Theological Seminary, has given the world a very important book on this topic, entitled In Defense of Christian Patriotism. He asks, “Since when does praying to Jesus, loving America, and saluting the flag make you an extremist?”

Darling contends that standing up and publicly loving one’s country as a patriot is essential for Christians, saying, “A healthy patriotism is not only an acceptable posture for a Christian. I believe it is a necessary posture for a Christian.”

Darling explains, “I wrote this book to show Christians how to fight back against the Left’s false narrative with an upbeat, robust defense of how Christians make America better.

“As I speak to ordinary believers around the country, I meet good people who want to love America but are constantly being told that this passion is in direct conflict with their love for God.”

His book explains why loving one’s country is acting in obedience to God.

In the chapter “You Can’t Obey God and Hate Your Country,” Darling warns against the silly temptations to avoid patriotism because we “fear being confused with [our] flag-waving parents and grandparents” or we “equate any form of patriotism with idolatry.”

Darling approvingly highlights Hillsdale professor Wilfred M. McClay’s definition of patriotism.

Patriotism, in the American context, is an intricate latticework of ideals, sentiments, and overlapping loyalties. Since its founding, America has often been understood as the incarnation of an idea, an abstract and aspirational claim about self-evident truths that apply to all of humanity. There is certainly some truth to this view, but to focus on it exclusively ignores the very natural and concrete aspects of American patriotism: our shared memories of our nation’s singular triumphs, sacrifices, and sufferings, as well as our unique traditions, culture, and land.

These ideals are why millions immigrants risk their lives and meager fortunes to come to America legally. They believe in our ideals and a promise of a better life.

Darling explains, “Loving America is not ignoring her flaws, but recognizing the possibility of positive change is more likely” as much of this is “due to the unique influence of Protestant Christianity on our founding ideals – an influence many want us to forget.”

Darling continues to detail how family decline has harmed many of our nation’s most vulnerable populations, which prevents them from fully realizing the rewards of the American Dream.

Darling rightly observes Christian efforts in the fight for family, saying, “Often it is Christians trying to arrest change who are labeled as the aggressors, backwards, weird and retrograde, while the Left, which made the changes in the first place, is the enlightened, fair-minded, justice-oriented cohort.”

He’s not wrong by recognizing that “some evangelical leaders dismiss fighting for families as mere ‘culture wars’.”

He adds, “The truth is [our patriotism has us] engaged in a fight for what is true and good and beautiful, whether we realize it or not. Some political skirmishes are stupid, but championing the family is not one of them. It’s serious and it matters.”

The book concludes, saying, “For our children, for our neighbors, for the glory of God, let’s love this country,” the essential call of Christian patriotism for Americans as a great beacon of hope and freedom for billions around the world.

You can read Daniel Darling’s motivation for writing his new book here.

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Making Citizens: The Case for Patriotic Assimilation

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Learning to Love America Again

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