Gretchen's Take: Christian vote is an important part of GOP

There was a lot of religious talk during the Fox News Republican debate

There was a lot of religious talk during the GOP debate last night and it's obvious the Christian vote is an important part of the Republican party. In fact, when Republican voters were asked in the new Pew Research Center poll if it’s important to them to have a president who shares their religious belief. Two thirds said yes, compared to only 40-percent for Democrats.

Obviously, that's why we heard most of the candidates last night talking about their faith.

Interestingly, it’s not as much of a topic of conversation for Democrats. Hillary Clinton is a Methodist, but Bernie Sanders, who grew up Jewish, now has no religious affiliation, and rarely discusses his religious viewpoints. However, will that really matter for him? Recent studies have shown Democrats increasingly view religion as not an important factor in choosing their candidates. Still, it would be a big change. According to the Pew Research Center on religion and public life; only 3 presidents have been unaffiliated with a specific religious tradition; Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.