Poll: Evangelical Vote at Record High in Election

Evangelical voters reached a record high in Tuesday’s election, with 78 percent of white evangelicals supporting Republican Mitt Romney, a national survey has found.

The survey of 800 voters commissioned by the Faith and Freedom Coalition found that a record 27 percent of those who voted in the presidential election were evangelicals.

Romney’s 78 percent showing among white evangelicals was 10 points higher than Arizona Sen. John McCain’s in 2008.

Alert: Hurricane Proves You Need Emergency Radio, Save $25

“Evangelicals turned out in record numbers and voted as heavily for Mitt Romney yesterday as they did for George W. Bush in 2004,” said Ralph Reed, chairman of TK-based Faith and Freedom Coalition. “That is an astonishing outcome that few would have predicted even a few months ago.

“But Romney underperformed with younger voters and minorities and that in the end made the difference for Obama,” Reed said.

Among the Catholic voters who said they regularly attended Mass, 67 percent backed Romney, versus 32 percent Obama — a swing of 35 percent for the GOP since 2008. Romney also won white Catholics by 59 to 40 percent, up 19 points over 2008.

“This election was a tale of two cities,” Reed said. “Evangelicals and faithful Catholics turned out in large numbers and voted overwhelmingly for religious liberty, the sanctity of life and marriage, and limited government.

“But younger voters and minorities turned out in even larger numbers in 2008 and delivered Obama to victory,” he said.

Alert: Hurricane Proves You Need Emergency Radio, Save $25