PERCENTAGES AND ANALYSIS: EVANGELICAL VOTES COUNT IN REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES

Iowa — Won by Ted Cruz 56 per cent evangelical Candidates of the religious right have won devout Iowa four times in a row. Sen. Ted Cruz rode his popularity with evangelicals to an upset victory over Trump. New Hampshire — Won by Donald Trump 21 per cent New Hampshire is the most secular of the important states on the Republican primary calendar. Donald Trump ditched the Bible he had been toting in Iowa, and he won handily. South Carolina — Votes Saturday 64 per cent The first primary in the Bible Belt, and the second big test of Sen. Ted Cruz’s Christianity-infused message. Nevada — Votes Tuesday 24 per cent Nevada’s Republican caucus includes about as many Mormon voters as evangelical voters. And the religiously unaffiliated are now the state’s largest religious “group.” Alabama — Votes March 1 75 per cent The heart of the Bible Belt and one of the most evangelical states in the country. The number of mainline Protestants and Catholics is declining there, while the number of evangelicals is growing. Texas — Votes March 1 50 per cent A must-win for Ted Cruz, a Texas senator who has spent years courting the state’s evangelical leaders. Polling has been sparse, but Donald Trump appears to be nipping at his heels. Florida — Votes March 15 40 per cent Florida’s Christians are “more likely to be women, to have ever been divorced, or to have a liberal political ideology” than the country as a whole, according to the Barna Group faith research organization. Ohio — Votes March 15 47 per cent George W. Bush won the state in the 2004 general election thanks to a surge of evangelical voters who turned out to vote in a simultaneous referendum on same-sex marriage. Wisconsin — Votes April 5 37 per cent Gov. Scott Walker, known for his fiery stands against unions, has been more circumspect when talking about social issues like abortion and samesex marriage. The son of a minister faced suspicion from evangelical leaders when he ran for president. New York — Votes April 19 15 per cent Sen. Ted Cruz has attacked Donald Trump’s so-called “New York values,” essentially calling him a non-Christian. He said he meant that New York is “socially liberal, pro-gay marriage, pro-abortion, focused on money and the media.” Source: Rasmussen. All figures estimated