(ANALYSIS) President Joe Biden has talked about the battle for the soul of the nation. In fact, he gave a speech about just that in September 2022, two months before the midterm elections, at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, to rebuke Donald Trump and his divisive politics.

“Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,” Biden, a practicing Catholic, said at the time.

Nearly a year later, the leading Republican presidential candidates came together in Milwaukee for the chance to take on Biden in the November 2024 election.

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What emerged from the eight candidates (Trump did not attend) on stage at the Fiserv Forum was an often-heated two-hour debate in which they weren’t afraid to bring up faith and family as a reason why Biden’s America has been a failure. The Fox News debate was the first of the GOP primary season.

While the candidates vying for the White House agreed America is undergoing a crisis, they differed on exactly why. It set the stage for what will be a very interesting primary and one where issues surrounding faith and family won’t be ignored.

Faith and family are not new talking points for GOP candidates. It’s a trend that dates back to the 1980s during the Ronald Reagan era and has continued with the rise of the Christian Coalition and, in recent years, the large support of evangelicals for Trump.

During Wednesday night’s debate, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a son of Indian immigrants and a practicing Hindu, called it a “national identity crisis” and said that America is in a “dark moment.”

“I say this as a member of my generation,” he added. “The problem in our country right now, the reason we have that mental health epidemic, is that people are so hungry for purpose and meaning at a time when family, faith, patriotism, hard work have all disappeared. What we really need is a tonal reset from the top, saying that this is what it means to be an American.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who grew up Catholic and became an evangelical in college, disagreed.

“The American people,” Pence said, sounding very much like a preacher, “are the most faith-filled, freedom-loving, idealistic, hardworking people the world has ever known.” 

These two views of America, seen through the lens of faith, is an interesting one. It is even more interesting given that the country has become more secular in recent decades. Pew Research Center reports those who consider themselves religious has declined.

Arguments over abortion bans

Sen. Tim Scott, who has often talked about his Christian faith on the campaign trail, pointed to abortion — a major issue for voters on both sides of the political aisle — as a major problem.

“We cannot let states like California, New York, Illinois have abortions on demand up until the day of birth,” he said. “That is immoral, it is unethical, it is wrong.”

In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case which guaranteed a woman’s right to abortion. Some states, as Scott pointed out, have independently passed legislation protecting abortion. While all eight candidates said they were “pro-life” — they differed on how they would legislate the issue.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the only woman on the stage, said she would “absolutely” sign a 15-week federal abortion ban in the hopes of attaining consensus from lawmakers. Haley grew up Hindu but now identifies as a Christian.

Pence, who supports a federal six-week ban, disagreed.   

“Consensus is the opposite of leadership,” he said.  

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would not say whether he would support a federal ban.

“I’m going to stand on the side of life,” said DeSantis, who is Catholic and signed a six-week abortion ban in his state earlier this year. “Look, I understand Wisconsin is going to do it different than Texas. I understand Iowa and New Hampshire are going to be different, but I will support the cause of life as governor and as president.”

Night’s winners and losers

Pence earned praise for his actions during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and didn’t hold back on his rivals. In an attack on the 38-year-old Ramaswamy, Pence said, “Now is not the time for on-the-job training. We don’t need to bring in a rookie.”

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a master of the debate stage and the biggest anti-Trump candidate, also took a jab at Ramaswamy, a defender of Trump.

“I’ve had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT,” he said.

Ramaswamy, meanwhile, held his own throughout the evening. It could be a sign that the businessman will have some staying power in this race.

In the losers column, DeSantis and Scott struggled, while North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, two candidates near the bottom of most primary polls, failed to move the needle.

In all, it was the official start of what will be a fiery campaign season that will see its first results with the Iowa Caucus on Jan. 15. If this debate is any sign, expect continued talk about faith and family to remain a central issue.

Clemente Lisi is managing editor at Religion Unplugged. He is the author of “The FIFA World Cup: A History of the Planet’s Biggest Sporting Event” and previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.