Kerby Anderson

John Halpin is the executive editor of The Liberal Patriot and writes about “The Demise of Religion Among Democrats.” This significant shift may have an impact on the 2026 elections.

The educational shift in the Democratic coalition has been documented in the book, Where Have All the Democrats Gone?. Democrats used to be known as the party of the working class, but now have shifted to more college-educated voters that are usually located in some of the postindustrial metro areas of the country.

This shift is also a major reason for the rapid decline of religious affiliation among Democrats. This can be seen in the rise of the religiously unaffiliated, that are often referred to as “the nones.” In previous commentaries, I have talked about the rise of the religious “nones” nationally, but the share among Democratic voters has more than doubled from 2008 to 2023.

Although Republicans have experienced some decline in religion, the impact on Democrats is much more significant. This has led to what some have called “The God Gap.” John Halpin explains that this manifests itself in key issues such as gender identity, immigration, and the role of government.

He also says this creates a problem for Democrats. “Since more than two-thirds of U.S. voters overall remain Christian, the increasingly non-Christian and secular Democratic Party remains out of touch with a huge chunk of Americans.”

He recognizes that no one can make Democrats more religious. But they could be more accepting of views they don’t share. At the least, they could stop being so hostile to those views.

He has identified a problem for Democrats and provides an explanation for the political schism we see today in America. This will become more apparent in the 2026 elections.