Republican hopefuls to court evangelical vote in Iowa

On Saturday, Republican presidential candidates will make their first significant push to evangelical Christians in Iowa, which will host the party’s first nominating contest in early 2024.

The Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition conservative charity hosts an annual presidential discussion for evangelical leaders and voters to see where candidates stand on abortion and school choice.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, an evangelical who may run for president, and U.S. Senator Tim Scott, who may run, will headline it. Trump will participate remotely.

Trump appears to be cementing his hold on the Republican Party, with some national surveys showing him widening his lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is not attending the forum but will visit the state next month.

Iowa will host the first Republican caucus in early 2024. Strong evangelical support early in the nominating process might help a challenger defeat Trump, who received three-fourths of the white evangelical vote in 2020.

“There is potential for somebody else because some Republicans, even some who voted for Trump in ’16 and ’20, are saying it’s time to move on,” said University of Iowa political science professor Tim Hagle.

Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, venture investor and author Vivek Ramaswamy, and Michigan businessman Perry Johnson, all of whom want to run for the Republican nomination, will speak on Saturday.

Edison Research exit polls showed Trump winning 76% of white evangelicals in 2020, down from 80% in 2016. In November 2020, Reuters/Ipsos polled one-third of Americans as born-again or evangelical Christians.

The ex-president is getting evangelical support. Trump beat DeSantis among evangelicals 51% to 42% in a March Monmouth University survey, a nine-point gain from the month before.

Steve Scheffler, head of the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, said Saturday evening speakers will have four minutes to speak freely before a moderated Q&A session.

While evangelicals favor Trump, Scheffler said many want to “kick the tires” and consider alternative candidates. He stated the gathering would include religious liberty, abortion, and transgender problems.