Taft to Trump: Religion in Presidential Primaries.

Looking at recent presidential primary elections in an historical context, this paper seeks to better understand and measure how religion affects candidate selection and party platforms for the two major political parties in America. To some extent, the candidate's religion and the presentation of that belief is merely an integrated part of the overall candidacy. However, this study employs some content analysis and historical context to isolate religious aspects of the presidential primaries and test their effects on the eventual nominee and the party's political platform. The representation of religious candidates, views, and sects early in the candidate selection process appears to affect the construction of platforms for both parties later in the election cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]