Today's Question Blog

How does a candidate’s religion affect your vote?

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Pope Francis inserted himself into the Republican presidential race on Wednesday. The Pope suggested that Donald Trump "is not Christian" because of the harshness of his campaign promises to build walls and deport immigrants.

Pope Francis and Donald Trump traded blows Thursday regarding the Republican presidential contender's religion.

The pope said Trump is "not Christian" for having said he wants to build a wall on the Mexican border.

It took just minutes for Trump to fire back: "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful," said Trump, a Presbyterian, at a South Carolina campaign stop. "I am proud to be a Christian and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened."

Many presidential hopefuls invoke religion in selling themselves to voters, and the data show that could certainly pay off.

A Pew Research Center survey conducted last month found that 51 percent of U.S. adults would be less likely to support a presidential candidate who doesn't believe in God. Two-thirds of Republicans say it's important for the president to share the same religious beliefs, Pew found.

But that survey was nationwide. We don't exactly know what Minnesota thinks this campaign.

Today's Question: How does a candidate's religion affect your vote?