Class dealignment has become a common topic of discussion in the pages of Jacobin. Increasingly, working-class voters are bolting from the Democratic Party and affluent voters are rushing in to fill the void. Many explanations have been given about why this shift is occurring, from economic grievances working-class voters are said to have against Democrats to racial animus some claim these voters hold against minorities and immigrants.

While evangelical voters are clearly associated with the Republican Party, and though evangelical Christianity features prominently in many accounts of contemporary Rust Belt America, a quick look at the demographics of regular churchgoers (those who report attending religious services at least once a month) suggests that religiosity may not be an effective predictor of who is defecting from the Democratic Party.