E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
The outspoken Rev. Franklin Graham claimed today that the “majority of Christians” did not vote.
“We know that from of the statistics that I’ve heard that the majority of Christians in this country just did not vote for whatever reason,” he told the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody. “The vast majority of evangelicals did not go to the polls.” He added, “God is in control, and if Christians are upset, they need to be upset at themselves. We need to do a better job of getting our people- the church to vote. Now, I’m not trying to tell you how to vote, you can vote, but vote, my goodness, and vote for candidates that stand for Biblical values.”
But Graham’s assertion -- and implication that had white Christian evangelicals just showed up in bigger numbers, President Obama would have lost -- is off base.
In fact, white evangelicals/born-again Christians made up the same percentage of the electorate as they did in 2008 – 26%. They voted for Mitt Romney, a devout Mormon, by a wider margin than they did for Sen. John McCain four years ago.
And, they made up a larger share of the electorate in 2012 than in 2004, when the Christian Right supposedly fueled George W. Bush’s reelection. They also voted for Romney with the exact same margin as for Bush in 2004, 78%-21%.
Not to mention, Obama won the 48 percent of the electorate that was Christian and not Protestant or Mormon -- 50%-48% among Catholics (25% of the electorate) and 50%-49% of "Other Christians" (23% of the electorate).
In Ohio, they were 1 point more of the electorate than 2008; in Colorado, 4 points higher; in Iowa, up 7 points; in Nevada, up 2.
White evangelical voters in select swing states
CO: 25%, 76-22 Romney; 2008: 21%, 76-23 McCain
FL: 24%, 79-21 Romney; 2008: 24%, 77-21 McCain
IA: 38%, 64-35 Romney; 2008: 31%, 65-33 McCain
NV: 18%, 69-28 Romney; 2008: 16%, 72-27 McCain
OH: 31%, 69-30 Romney; 2008: 30%, 71-27 McCain
They did decline as a share of the electorate in North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. But the drops in states like North Carolina (Graham’s home state) and Virginia likely have less to do with apathy and more to do with demographic changes – transplants in North Carolina’s Research Triangle and growth in the Washington, D.C., suburbs of Northern Virginia, for example.
The fact is, Virginia and North Carolina are looking less and less like the Old South and more and more like Mid-Atlantic states.
White evangelical voters in the South (where exit polls are available)
MS: 50%, 95-5 Romney; 2008: 46%, 94-6 McCain
AL: 47% , 90-10 Romney; 2008: 47%, 92-8 McCain
NC: 35%, 79-20 Romney; 2008: 44%, 74-25 McCain
VA: 23%, 83-17 Romney; 2008: 28%, 79-20 McCain
Are there Christian evangelicals who did not vote? Certainly. But that’s true every year and of every demographic group.
Evangelicals make up 26 percent of adults in the country, according to a major 2008 Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life survey. They matched that this election.
The U.S. Census says there are more than 311 million people in the United States. If evangelical adults are 26 percent of them, then there would be 80 million potential voters.
So far, 123 million votes have been counted in this election – and that number will get higher by the millions as votes continue to be counted like in 2008. Evangelicals made up 26 percent of them, therefore, about 32 million evangelicals voted – less than half of their population.
But there’s a need for context here: (1) They make up just 14 percent of the registered-voter base in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. They outpaced that percentage in the presidential election, (2) This is true every other demographic group in the country as well.
Latinos, for example, according to the U.S. Census, are nearly 17 percent of the country, but only made up 10 percent of the 2012 electorate. They make up just 8 to 9 percent of the registered-voter base of the NBC/WSJ poll.
That would mean just 12 million of the 52 million adult Hispanics voted.
If this was Australia, and the U.S. had compulsory voting, Graham’s argument that evangelicals would have tipped the balance would not hold up very well.
Leave a Comment:
Newsflash for Franklin Graham! A LOT of Christians DID vote for President Obama! However a lot of them are not the same color as you are!
I did not vote for Obama.
I did not vote for Romney.
I did vote, but not for any of the above.
Third parties were on the ballot!
I voted for the Communist Party of Zaragoza, Spain.
you really shouldn't be voting
I dont get it Romney is a mormon, Obama is a Christian.
And when you look at it in details, Mormons are hardly Christians in the accepted sense. They believe in many gods, and that Mormon men can become a god when they die. I think that violates the first commandment. They have lots of silly beliefs, like their magic underwear that they are forced to wear 24/7, but the best one is that they believe that Jesus physically visited Missouri after his resurrection. That's the sort of crap you get with a religion started by a fraudster. (See Scientology as well.)
If you look at the details "valid v" we could say you missed them all. One God, not many. Silly beliefs? Tell me what you believe and I could make it sound real silly. No one is forced to do or wear anything 24/7 in the Church. The fact that you say the word "magical" tells me you are the type of person who also makes fun of Catholic Priest who wear robes or nuns who wear habits or Jews who wear caps? Correct? Do you go up to them in public and poke fun at their outer worn religious garments in person or do you only make fun of those religions who wear religious clothing inwardly and on these chat boards? Mormons do believe that Christ visited the ancient Americas after his ressurection-that would have been most likely in Central or South America. "Other sheep I have that are not of this fold, they to I must visit" This visit is recorded by prophets of God in the Book of Mormon. You ought to read this account where Jesus had over 2500 people come up to him one by one and and view and touch the wounds in his hands and feet so they could surely know He was the Christ. He had the little children come up first....wow, that sure sounds silly. Please read this account and tell me if you think it is silly.Where did you get your inacurate details that it was Missouri where Christ visited? That's news to me and the world. I guess I could say that's the sort of crap you get from somebody who makes comments about something they don't really know much about.
At what point do we stop addressing this divisive bigot as a Reverend? He is very ungodly to me.
Amen!!
Interesting that Graham supported the candidate who was a member of a cult. I guess God doesn't really like cults then does he?
"Vote for candidates with bliblical values?"
These guys will never rest until they have "christian" sharia law in this country, they are more dangerous than anything extremist Muslims can dream of.
These right wing nuts are blaming heaven and earth for their loss except themselves and the extreme ideas they represent. Somebody said it was Sandy's fault, now it's christians not voting, or Latinos because of gifts, or maybe the President of Zambia eating chocolate cake.
Are there any limits the GOP/TP crowd will stop at? Not a chance in hell.
The Graham family should stay out of politics and just count the millions people donate to them. The full page advertisement that the Billy Graham Evangelical Association published in most newspapers in the USA before the election was disgusting. Such entry into politics should disqualify the Graham organizations from tax free status. For that matter, all religious organizations should lose their tax free status once they enter into politics. Whatever happened to separation of church and state?
Stand not in the way of the wicked, nor sit in the seat of the scornful.
Not to vote is a vote, doesn't matter Obama would still have won with or without them.
Now lets hold the House accountable and if the GOP continues to piss us off we will fire them in 2014.
We know now we have control and not Rove and the Koch brothers with all their filthy money.
Both Graham and Romney fall way way short of the real men that their fathers were.
What more proof is needed that Billy Graham's completely out of touch? What more proof is needed that the Republican's are out of touch? The Christians didn't vote (but they did) and Obama's gave out gifts and that's why he won (what?) ... out of touch with reality. Thank Billy Graham's God that the Republicans didn't win or we'd be headed for rule by the significantly out of touch!
Jesus gave us Obamacare- read your bible.
The Lord got pissed at the greed and hypocrisy. Then the false Mormon God sealed the deal.
The 78% that voted for the Mormon shall be given the mark of the beast, and shall burn for all eternity. Sad, but they sold their souls to Romney, Glenn Beck, Ayn Rand and Hannity. "And yee shall be judged by your deeds".
Quick, run from the dark side. You can still confess your sin of voting Romney and save yourself. I found some empty Obama T shirts in a vacant lot- the rapture has begun. The Teabaggers are on a Jihad, but Crist will slay them. Repent- it's not too late!
Well, that would leave out 99.99999 percent of republicans. That certainly lives out Mitt Romney. He hates the poor, thinks health insurance, which helps people live and is therefore a pro-life stance, is somehow evil (how could prolonging life be evil??). Jesus wouldn't hate the poor or refuse to give them health insurance. Jesus also wouldn't take the side of a rapist and force a woman to submit herself to his wishes by carrying a rape pregnancy to term. Hell, Jesus wouldn't be happy that Mitt belongs to a cult that usurped Jesus and installed Joseph Smith in his place.
Excellent avatar! Drink up dreamers, you're running dry........
The Church of Jesus Christ......get informed.
Oh yeah, never mind that they considered Jesus to be a prophet subordinate to Joey Smith. Take you Church of LDS and stick it jackhole!
!
Show me the proof upstate of where that has ever been stated. That's what I thought. Sounds of Silence.
Franklin Graham is claiming that Jesus is a Republican.
He's making Pat Robertson look sane.
I am, and I did.
Rev Graham, you and your obnoxious son are just a racket.
All of my friends voted for Obama as did I. We are ALL Christians of one denomination or another. We just aren't Southern, evangelical or racist. Also, when George Bush won twice, we did not carry on like the Rev Graham and his Republicans friends are carrying on. Romney lost because of Republican policies and the candidate himself. It has little to do with how the christians voted. They need to get over themselves.
excellent post.
dittio....excellent post
Someone needs to tell these racist religious nutz that, if Jesus were voting, he would be a Democrat. The bible says we need to care for "the least among us", and Jesus cared most for the poor, the sick, and the elderly. Definitely not what modern conservative "Christians" espouse!
Amen
amen
I beg your pardon, Rev Graham. My wife and I both voted. After careful consideration and prayer we both voted for Pres. Obama. I'm not sure what god you are listening to but it's obviously not the god whose son died on the cross for our sins. Jesus Christ told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. I haven't seen much love from the GOP in quite some time.
What "Reverend" Graham fails to realize is that his brand of Christianity is far from what Jesus taught, and that a large number of those who call themselves Christian are anything but. Graham's is the type of religion--hate and intolleragnce for anyone who disagrees with him-- is driving young people away from organized religion by the millions. Perhaps Christians who follow the teachings of Christ are the ones who went to the polls and elected Obama.
Remember if you are raped and you have a child from that rape it is just a gift from GOD
Racist Idiot!!!!, btw Graham, Obama is a christian if you hadn't noticed, which I'm sure you didn't
Just another in the long line of excuses an out of touch with everything party (read that as the GOP) has to make to justify it's pathetic existence.
If the Republicans would have actually had some meaningful platform to run on and IF they would quit shooting themselves in the feet (Akins et al) perhaps they would have done better.
They couldn't figure out that women's rights are HUGE!
They couldn't connect with the mainstream ordinary voter because they are ELITIST!
Keep it up Republicans and you will lose again in 2014 in the US Representative and Senate races. Keep insulting the voters and then try and ask for our vote. What a bunch of dummies.
I am a Christian and I voted for Obama. Most Christians did because he had more empathy for those that Christians are supposed to help than the other candidate. Obviously Mr Graham does not know what he is talking about.
Jesus started the whole Liberal movement. Ironic the Greedy try to use his name.
Obama is your president now, so all you Repugnants and Tampon Baggers can quit your whining and belly aching, we don't need any crybabies in our country, so pull up your diapers, put that pacifier in your mouth and wipe those tears away on your blankie, if you don't like it self deport yourself, because that secede notion not gonna work......
Hey Hoodie Boy, when your welfare check comes in, why don't you go and buy a one way ticket to nowhere?