MAGA Evangelicals Love Their Sinners More Than They Hate Sin

6 months ago 11

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(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Time was that the Republican Party was the party of family values, troubled and incensed by the supposed sins and moral failings of Democrats like Bill Clinton. Even Ronald Reagan’s status as a divorcee didn’t sit right with some Republicans. All of those misgivings seem quaint now, as the Trump era has re-written the playbook for what’s acceptable behavior.

Republicans seemingly forgive all sins as long as you’re on the right team.

Now comes Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to test the outer limits of forgiveness in his battle against Senator John Cornyn. Paxton’s wife, Angela Paxton, recently announced on X that she had filed for divorce on “biblical grounds,” suggesting allegations of adultery.

“What Ken Paxton has put his family through is truly repulsive and disgusting,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez posted on X in reply to Paxton. “No one should have to endure what Angela Paxton has and we pray for her as she chooses to stand up for herself and her family during this difficult time.”

But that was the pearl-clutching establishment, the GOP of old.

MAGA, filled with evangelicals of a different sort, sees this much differently. On X, which often captures the sentiment of the MAGA base, Paxton’s announcement was met, not with sympathy, but with scorn and suggestions that she was making public a private matter in order to damage her soon-to-be ex-husband.

While some in the political class suggested the revelations would alter the race, Paxton seems just as likely to get a boost as MAGA solidifies their support and champions him as a thumb-in-the-eye to the establishment.

“He is still going to beat Cornyn by 10 points in the primary. The rank and file are going to vote for Paxton because they think that baggage is a badge of honor,” said Jon Taylor, a political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. “When they do this for Donald Trump, why in the hell wouldn’t they do it for Ken Paxton?”

In 2016, Trump won 81% of White born-again evangelical voters, a historic share for a Republican presidential candidate. And after his victory, White Americans who didn’t identify as evangelical but viewed Trump favorably “were much more likely than White Trump skeptics to begin identifying as born-again or evangelical Protestants by 2020,” according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center. Trump won a similar share of the White evangelical vote in 2020 and 2024, and they remain among his most ardent supporters. Which is good news for any candidate who casts themselves in Trump’s mold, sins and all.

“The people who would have cared about immortality, the old guard, they are gone. The MAGA-style evangelicals are not regular church-goers, they aren’t sitting in church pews every Sunday and spreading the gospel. They are evangelicals in name only,” said Anthea Butler, chair of the religious studies department at the University of Pennsylvania. “The bar is in hell right now, they don’t care about this stuff. There is no sin that can’t be forgiven for evangelical political candidates. Now the door is open for anybody.”

Consider the case of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth who faced allegations of marital infidelity and abuse, all of which he denied. He wrapped himself in the language of faith, claiming the “two Js” — Jennifer, his third wife, and Jesus — had changed his life.

Paxton, who was acquitted in an impeachment trial where he faced allegations of bribery in 2023, has been leading Cornyn in most polls and is an ally of Trump. Cornyn has said that he will make the race about character. He outraised Paxton by $1 million in the last quarter.

Paxton wrapped himself in God and pointed to his enemies.

“After facing the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny, Angela and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives,” Paxton posted on X. “I could not be any more proud or grateful for the incredible family that God has blessed us with, and I remain committed to supporting our amazing children and grandchildren. I ask for your prayers and privacy at this time.”

Paxton will get privacy, as a Texas state court ordered that records in his divorce proceedings be sealed. And he will likely get prayers. What’s unclear is whether he will get Trump’s endorsement. But he might be the very candidate who doesn’t need it. He’s got something that might just be better, as far as MAGA’s evangelicals are concerned: the specter of a battle, with forgiveness always at the ready.