---
title: "White Evangelical Protestants and Republican Presidential Candidates"
description: "Giuliani Generates the Most Enthusiasm Where do white evangelical Protestants stand with regard to the announced and potential Republican presidential candidates? A June survey from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press sheds light on this question at this stage of the campaign by measuring name recognition and likelihood of support at […]"
date: "2007-06-04"
authors:
  - name: "No Author"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2007/06/04/publicationpage-aspxid816/"
---

# White Evangelical Protestants and Republican Presidential Candidates

**Giuliani Generates the Most Enthusiasm** Where do white evangelical Protestants stand with regard to the announced and potential Republican presidential candidates? A June survey from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press sheds light on this question at this stage of the campaign by measuring name recognition and likelihood of support at the polls. ([View a complete discussion of the survey findings and more details on the survey methodology](http://pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/politics/reports/display.php3?ReportID=334).)

**Name Recognition.** Among white evangelicals, 93% of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters claim to have heard of Sen. [John McCain](/religion08/profile.php?CandidateID=3). [Rudy Giuliani](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-rudolph-giuliani/) and Newt Gingrich* follow closely behind at 89% each. [Mitt Romney](/religion08/profile.php?CandidateID=1) is known by 68% of white evangelicals, and Fred Thompson* is familiar to 52%.

Other Republican candidates and potential candidates are less well-known; among all Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters, 51% report having heard of Tommy Thompson, 48% of [Mike Huckabee](/religion08/profile.php?CandidateID=10), 43% of Chuck Hagel* and 40% of [Sam Brownback](/religion08/profile.php?CandidateID=7).

**Likely Support.** Among evangelical, Republican registered voters, Giuliani currently generates the most enthusiasm (albeit somewhat less than among Republican registered voters overall), with nearly one-in-three (32%) saying there is a "good chance" they would vote for him and an additional 35% saying there is "some chance." Only 18% say there is "no chance" Giuliani would get their vote. In contrast, about one-sixth of evangelical Republicans (16%) say there is a "good chance" they would vote for McCain, and an additional 40% say there is "some chance" they would vote for him; 26% say there is "no chance" they would vote for McCain.

Nearly half of evangelicals say there is a chance they would vote for Gingrich (19% "good chance," 27% "some chance"), but one-in-three say there is "no chance" they would vote for him. Roughly one-in-three evangelical Republicans are potential Romney supporters (14% "good chance," 23% "some chance"), while 24% say there is "no chance" Romney would get their vote.

Despite being significantly less well-known than many of the other candidates, Fred Thompson generates as much enthusiasm among evangelical Republicans as do McCain, Gingrich or Romney (20% say there is a "good chance" they would vote for Thompson, while just 7% say there is "no chance" they would vote for him).

* Not an announced candidate as of June 4, 2007.