Mike Johnson is the first person to become speaker of the House who can be fairly described as a Christian nationalist, a major development in America history in and of itself. Equally important, however, his ascension reflects the strength of white evangelical voters in the House Republican caucus, voters who are determined to use the power of government to roll back the civil rights, women’s rights and sexual revolutions. “If anything, it shows us that white evangelicals still have a very strong hold on the modern Republican Party. In the 1970s, mainline Protestants dominated at 46 percent, compared with evangelical Protestants at 24 percent and Catholics at 19 percent. By the decade of the 2010s, evangelical Protestants were a commanding 38 percent of Republicans, mainline Protestants had fallen to 17 percent and Catholics had grown to 25 percent.

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Persons: Mike Johnson, “ Johnson, ” Ryan Burge, ”, ” Burge Organizations: Republican, Eastern Illinois University, American Baptist Church, Republican Party Locations: America, United States