Conservative pro-family groups linked to James Dobson say GOP losses in last Tuesday’s midterm elections are a loss for Christianity. But they’re not blaming Donald Trump, his low approval ratings, war in Iran, costly tariffs or rampant corruption. They’re blaming Christians who didn’t vote Republican.
Gary Bauer
“We lost, you and me, followers of Jesus Christ,” said Gary Bauer of the James Dobson Family Institute in a podcast titled “Socialists and Islamists Outvoted Christians.”
“I imagine the Founding Fathers are literally twirling in their graves,” said Bauer, who believes America was founded as a “Christian nation.”
“If you believe America was founded on biblical principles, you and I just lost last night,” Bauer said. “We just put anti-Christian bigots, left-wing Christian imposters, radical Islamists and radical Marxists in massive numbers in the House and Senate.”
“Those who hate God and hate America have spent 50 years building a massive turnout infrastructure,” said Craig DeRoche of the Family Policy Alliance, which partners with Focus on the Family in 40 states and claims it “reached more than 6.5 million Christians with reminders to vote.”
Craig DeRoche
“Last night, socialists won,” said DeRoche. “Not in one party. In both.” He said Democrats helped elect a handful of candidates linked to the Democratic Socialists of America. “On the right, socialism wore a different coat. This brand didn’t march. It didn’t organize. It stayed home.”
“The church is America’s greatest untapped political force,” he said. “Last night proved what happens when it stays untapped.”
Tony Perkins
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins blamed the GOP losses on failed churches. “I think there is an element of biblical illiteracy, of not knowing what the Scripture says,” Perkins said. “But that goes back to the pulpit (and) not preaching what the Bible says.”
Focus on the Family backed Donald Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024 and has routinely promoted the second Trump administration. In October it celebrated “President Trump’s 250 Victories for People of Faith.” CEO Jim Daly hosted Vice President JD Vance for a get-out-the-vote broadcast eight days before the election.
But none of that was enough.
Focus says Tuesday’s results confirm that “socially conservative convictional Christians are in the minority.”
“This midterm election lays bare what may be an uncomfortable revelation for many: Any so-called social conservative majority in America is a mirage that may have been artificially created by populist appeal,” declared Focus’ Daily Citizen.
None of these four pro-family groups mentioned Trump in their post-midterm analyses. And while all four say they support religious freedom, they express concern about Muslim voters. There are about 5 million Muslims in America, or about 1.6% of the population.
In 2024, Trump campaigned on revenge and retribution. On Tuesday, pundits described Democrats’ wins in the U.S. House, Senate, governor’s mansions and state legislatures as a romp, a rout and a repudiation of all things Trump. Republicans lost among white males, women, Latinos, Blacks and most Jews.
Republicans also suffered a historic loss in Colorado’s Fifth Congressional District, which covers Colorado Springs and is home to Focus on the Family and the Family Policy Alliance. Jessica Killin beat Jeff Crank to become the first Democrat to win the district since it was established 54 years ago.
Republicans also suffered a historic loss in Colorado’s Fifth Congressional District, which covers Colorado Springs.
And Victor Marx, a controversial candidate for Colorado governor who formerly worked for Focus, won only 33% of the votes, losing to Democrat Phil Weister with 61% of the vote. Focus previously backed Rep. Lauren Boebert, but she, too, suffered a narrow loss after two terms.
Conservative Christians mourned the success of pro-abortion measures in Missouri, Virginia and Nevada while celebrating new restrictions on abortion in Idaho.
And Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom celebrated successful anti-trans measures in Nebraska, Arizona, Colorado and Washington. “Midterm voters underscore importance of respecting biological reality, women’s sports,” said ADF.
National winners included seven progressive Christian leaders and seven Muslims, a record result.
Religiously unaffiliated voters, or “nones,” played a role, too. There were more nones voting in 2026 (27% of the vote) than in 2024 (24%), and they shifted to the left by 6 to 7 percentage points, said Religion News Service, based on exit polls.
In Texas, progressive Christian Democrat James Talarico won 55% of the Senate votes to 43% for his conservative, scandal-plagued opponent, Ken Paxton, in spite of hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the race, much of it from Elon Musk.
Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins seemed willing to forgive Republicans who didn’t hold their noses and support Paxton.
“With the Texas situation, you almost have to put that in a separate category,” Perkins said. “Ken Paxton had a lot of baggage. There were many, many conservatives who could not support him, even though I know people say, ‘Well, but you know the Senate was hanging in the balance.’ Well, yeah but his personal lifestyle was unfolding in real time. It wasn’t like something that happened 10 or 15 years ago.”
“Ken Paxton had a lot of baggage. There were many, many conservatives who could not support him.”
Paxton was on the ballot, however, because conservative Republicans in Texas chose him in the primary
But Gary Bauer warned of a grim future for “a generation unwilling or unable or too cowardly to step up and defend the United States” when they’re confronted with “fewer and fewer Christians and more and more Muslims in America.”
“Unless the church wakes up soon, I will someday down the road be doing a last podcast because the things I say probably won’t be legal to say any more,” Bauer said.
Concerned Women for America, a pro-family group that was not founded by Dobson, blamed GOP officials who no longer prioritize the movement’s concerns for the enthusiasm gap plaguing GOP voters in the midterms.
“Christians, for whom the life issue is the most important issue, have been ignored for the last year,” said a statement from the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee.
“This has major implications for 2028, and Republicans need to pay attention. If you tell us that you have done enough and that you don’t need us, we take you at your word.”