Guest Author
For many Americans, faith is not a political talking point — it is a lived commitment that shapes their hopes for family, country, and the world.
Yet too often, politicians reduce faith to a tool, either a blunt instrument in the culture wars or a symbol in identity politics.
A new survey of Christian voters conducted by the National Latino Evangelical Coalition points to something more substantive: a constituency deeply invested in policies that strengthen the family, respect the dignity of work, and protect human life both at home and abroad.
Christian voters are not retreating from politics. They insist on a politics that respects faith as a source of moral reasoning and a foundation for civic responsibility.
The survey reveals convictions that deserve serious attention across three major issue areas: the economy, foreign assistance, and immigration.
First, on economic policy, Christian voters strongly support expanding the Child Tax Credit (72% in favor) and express concern about proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
Their concerns are deeply practical: rising prices at the grocery store, difficulty affording basic necessities, and a diminishing ability to invest and participate in the next generation of American excellence. Supporting pro-family economic policies is not a plea for dependency. It is a recognition that stable families help communities thrive and make our republic flourish. Scripture consistently underscores the duty to protect families and care for the vulnerable. Christian voters are asking for an economic vision where work is honored, families are supported, and opportunity is within reach for all.
Second, the data on foreign assistance show a continued commitment to America’s role in promoting global stability and advancing a Gospel-rooted mission of service.
Large majorities oppose cuts to programs like PEPFAR, and 73% of Christians are concerned that the shutdown of USAID at the hands of DOGE will lead to increased persecution of Christians around the world.
American Christians understand that Jesus’s calls to “do good works” are a matter of faithful discipleship, as scripture reminds them that “faith without works is dead.” These Christian voters understand that these instructions towards faithful discipleship apply here at home and abroad.
But foreign aid is not only an expression of Christian witness and discipleship; it strengthens national security, expands economic markets for American workers and farmers, and prevents the conditions that fuel instability and conflict.
Third, on immigration, Christian voters hold a nuanced view. As a matter of safety, they overwhelmingly support the deportation of undocumented immigrants with criminal records (86%), but also back pathways to legal citizenship (65%) for those willing to contribute to the common good. And most critically, in light of news of 3 American citizens who were deported to Honduras, one of whom is a 4-year-old with metastatic cancer, Christian voters vehemently oppose policies that would recklessly divide families, violate due process, and wrongly target American citizens.
Here again, their outlook reflects a biblical tension between order and mercy, justice and grace. The poll shows neither a call for open borders nor closed hearts. Instead, Christian voters seek an immigration policy that secures the nation’s borders, protects its workers, and welcomes those who come in good faith to build a better life.
This survey should provoke both parties to reconsider their assumptions.
Democrats often overlook religious voters or reduce faith to symbolic language detached from concrete policy, and there are real opportunities if they are willing to make the effort. Republicans, emboldened by a strong showing, particularly among Evangelical voters, in last November’s elections, should see the warning signs in this polling as a reminder not to treat faith voters as a monolith or take their priorities for granted.
The opportunity ahead is not to make politics more religious but more faithful: to align moral purpose with material outcomes, champion families as the building blocks of national strength, and see every person, whether neighbor or stranger, as a bearer of infinite dignity.
Christian voters offer a clear blueprint for renewal: a civic vision grounded in realism and hope, sacrifice and solidarity, work and family. Whether our political leaders have the courage to meet them remains to be seen.
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Michael Vazquez leads The Maiden Group, a political strategy firm at the forefront of faith-based engagement in American politics, policy, and civic renewal.
