Why Both Parties Want Hispanic Evangelicals in 2024
This year’s most closely watched voting bloc is reshaping the presidential contest—and the church.
The congregation that gathers at Alliance Church doesn’t need to be told to greet their neighbors. Dotted with West Texas flair—cowboy boots, shiny belt buckles, and big hair—they come with hands outstretched.
Together, they sing out about God’s healing and rescue, “Ahora, soy ciudadano del cielo,” proclaiming a united identity as citizens of heaven.
America’s Hispanic evangelical churches, which have been growing with converts from Catholicism as well as new immigrants, are known for this familia-style fellowship. Their pastors tend to be bivocational, busy enough that they focus more on the needs of their congregations than the culture wars clashing outside.
“Five to ten years ago, most Hispanic Baptist congregations … and even Hispanic Assemblies of God churches, their focus was on the gospel,” said Jesse Rincones, lead pastor of Alliance. Political conversations “never really made it to our pulpits.”
But politics have increasingly emerged in Hispanic pews in the years since Donald Trump’s presidency. Trump has gained more Hispanic support with each run at the White House—performing better among the demographic than any Republican candidate in decades—and Hispanic evangelicals have been a key target in his faith outreach.
Rincones, who also leads the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas, said Republicans have “probably seen some success in doing that in [the white evangelical] space and are now expanding” to Hispanic communities.
Hispanic voters are the group to watch this election year. Their ecclesiastical and political participation will shape both the pews and the ballot box. Though both political parties are going after ...