Skip to Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life Full Site Menu Skip to main content
November 19, 2018

Faith and the Faithful in the Midterm Elections

Hands folded in prayer in front of flag map of United States.

The 2018 midterm elections received close analysis from many angles. This unique Dialogue focused on the ways faith communities and their beliefs and values contributed to the outcomes and are helping shape the political and religious direction of our nation.

A panel of experts looked at who won and lost and why, focusing on the roles faith, religious voters, and faith communities played in the outcomes. They also explored the context, opportunities, and challenges Catholics, evangelicals, and other religious groups face in the current environment of political polarization, ecclesial scandal, and overall neglect of issues related to the poor, immigrants, and the vulnerable.

View the C-SPAN coverage of this event.

This Dialogue and series was co-sponsored by the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and the Institute of Politics and Public Service at Georgetown University and was supported by the Democracy Fund.

Featured

Robert Costa is a national political reporter for the Washington Post and moderator of Washington Week on PBS. He traveled across the country covering the presidential campaign of Donald Trump for the 2016 election.

Elizabeth Dias is a national correspondent for the New York Times covering faith, values, and the 2018 elections. She is the author of What Did Jesus Ask?: Christian Leaders Reflect on His Questions of Faith.

Ana Gonzalez-Barrera is a senior researcher at Pew Research Center and an expert on the U.S. Hispanic population and immigration issues.

Gregory Smith is the associate director of research at Pew Research Center, where he focuses on religion and American politics, and the political views of Catholics. He also wrote Politics in the Parish: The Political Influence of Catholic Priests.

John Carr, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown, will moderate the Dialogue.