Only one religious group gave majority support to House GOP in midterms

Protestants were the only religious group to give a majority of their support to Republican House candidates in the 2018 election.

What are the details?

According to exit polling and NBC News data compiled by the Pew Research Center, 56 percent of Protestants voted for the GOP congressional candidate in their home district. About 42 percent voted for the Democratic candidate.

That's the lowest share of Protestants the GOP has snagged in a midterm since 2006 (54 percent). Protestants went Republican over Democrat 61-27 in 2014 and 59-38 in 2010.

Catholics were more likely to vote Democratic than Republican in 2018 — 50 percent to 49 percent — for the first time in 12 years. In both the 2014 and 2010 midterms, 54 percent of Catholics backed the GOP. In 2006, 55 percent of Catholics voted for Democratic congressional candidates.

Voters who identified as Jewish, other, or unaffiliated went heavily Democratic — 79 percent, 73 percent, and 70 percent respectively.

More details about the Protestant vote

● Among Protestants, the less likely a person was to attend religious services, the more likely he was to cast his vote for the Democratic candidate. Fifty-eight percent of those who attended services at least once a week backed the GOP. Democrats received support from 52 percent of those who attend services a few times a month, 61 percent of those who attend serviced just a few times a year, and 68 percent of those who said they never attend services.

● Three-quarters of whites who identified as born-again or evangelical voted Republican. This was the lowest share since 2006.

● In the 2018 election, Protestants also made up a record small share of the midterm electorate. Over the years, more than 50 percent of midterm voters have been Protestant. This year, 47 percent of voters were Protestant.