[KIM] LAWTON: Prior to 2008, scholars talked about a God-gap in American politics: the more often people attended religious services, the more likely they were to vote Republican, the exception being African Americans, who are overwhelmingly Democratic. Many experts believe that trend will continue in this election cycle. Melissa Deckman is professor of political science, at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland.<\/p>\n
PROF. MELISSA DECKMAN (Washington College): If you think about the God-gap, so-called God-gap, it\u2019s still alive and well this year in American politics, and it\u2019s bigger than things like the gender gap, although you often hear more in the media about women\u2019s voting and men\u2019s voting, so I think religion continues to play a big role in American presidential elections.<\/p>\n
LAWTON: The Republicans are hoping for a big turnout from evangelicals, who make up about one-quarter of GOP voters. In the early days of the campaign, there were questions about whether theological differences would keep evangelicals from supporting a Mormon candidate. Governor Mitt Romney\u2019s campaign tried to woo them on the basis of shared values.<\/p>\n