Links to other key sites Protestant Ministers Would Vote for a Catholic or Jewish Presidential Candidate, but Not a Mormon or an Atheist Protestant ministers would vote for a Roman Catholic for president. They would also vote for an observant Jew, a racial or ethnic minority candidate, and someone who admitted smoking marijuana in the 70s. But they don t want to vote for an atheist or a Mormon. So say the results of a study conducted by Ellison Research of Phoenix, Arizona. In the study, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of Protestant church ministers, pastors were asked how 23 different factors might impact their willingness to vote for a particular candidate.
Most pastors are color-blind.
The findings are very similar for a candidate with Hispanic or Asian heritage. Pastors aren t entirely gender-blind, however. Sixty-seven percent of all pastors say the gender of a candidate doesn t make any difference to them. In the thinking of ministers, some of the most positive factors are a candidate s personal faith. Few ministers feel they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who is active in a Christian church or faith group.