Pentecostals could influence swing states

By William McKenzie - Dallas Morning News, Opinion
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - Web Link
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July 15, 2008

When Reunion Arena closed last month, most of us in Dallas focused on the end of an era for the basketball showcase. But the religious revival held at Reunion on the night of its last hurrah also had plenty to say about the future, politically speaking.

According to Pastor Lynn Godsey of Ennis, the evangelistic rally brought in 13,500 largely Latino worshipers, half of whom he estimates were Hispanic Pentecostals. Defined by their preference for healings, miracles and speaking in tongues, Latino Pentecostals are a fast-growing branch within the larger world of Latino evangelicals. (Not all evangelicals subscribe to speaking in tongues, healings, direct revelations by the Holy Spirit and miracles.)

From a political standpoint, Pentecostals are worth watching, including Latino Pentecostals. Presidential elections are increasingly broken down into winning niches of voters, particularly in swing states.

When you consider where Pentecostals are most concentrated, they certainly could be influential in swing states. A New York Times breakdown shows they congregate the most, percentagewise, in Arkansas, Oklahoma and West Virginia. After that, it's Arizona, Virginia, Texas, Alabama, Kansas and Oregon.

Texas is not a swing state. Neither is Oregon. But some of those others sure will be in play this fall.

Consider West Virginia. It's absolutely a swing state, where every vote matters to the McCain and Obama camps.

According to the Times map, 14 percent of West Virginians are Pentecostals. SMU political science professor Matthew Wilson attributes that number to it being a mountain religion, coming out of Appalachia and the Ozarks.