Half of Evangelicals Stayed Home in GOP Election Rout

Exit poll data from tens of thousands of voters allow analysts to investigate narratives surrounding the 2026 election with empirical data. For example, was the Republican collapse due in part to a loss of support from evangelicals? The answer is both no and yes. On one hand, evangelicals supported Republicans at a rate similar to previous elections. According to the 2026 exit polls, 82% of voters who self-identified as “white evangelical or born-again Christian” voted Republican. That compares to 82% in 2024, 83% in 2022, 76% in 2020, 75% in 2018, and 81% in 2016. Even before that, 78% of...