Christian Right Faces Election Rout After Leaders Say It Squandered an Opportunity

A setback for the movement

The Christian right’s losses in last week’s midterm elections have stirred frustration and uncertainty. The defeat marks its biggest losses since the movement gained new levels of power with President Trump.

The results indicate that religious conservatives may have less influence inside Trump’s party than before. Activists are now trying to regroup ahead of the 2028 presidential contest.

A decade alongside Trump

Over the past decade, conservative Christians have aligned their ambitions with Trump’s leadership, particularly in pursuit of abortion-related goals. His causes became theirs as they joined the MAGA coalition and brought its politics into American churches.

The election losses have therefore affected the movement as well as Trump. The results have raised questions among activists about what the Christian right can achieve through its political alliance.

Few achievements cited

Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, said activists could have pursued laws to protect children from transgender rights measures. Instead, he pointed to the Iran war as a consequence of the administration’s priorities. Schilling said the administration had provided few successes over the past two years beyond executive orders. Those included one establishing the White House Faith Office and another addressing what it called “anti-Christian bias.”

Activists weigh what comes next

Schilling said the movement had no major achievement to point to. “We squandered an opportunity,” he said. His assessment reflects the frustration facing Christian activists as they reconsider their strategy and prepare for the next presidential contest.