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There is, of course, some sloppiness in terminology. A person can be a political conservative while being a mainline Protestant. Barry Goldwater, an Episcopalian, and Ronald Reagan, who was raised in the Disciples of Christ denomination and who attended a Presbyterian (USA) congregation in Los Angeles, are examples. OTOH, three of the most infamous liberals in recent American politics, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, and Bill Clinton, are Southern Baptists. William Rehnquist, who was generally conservative in his court rulings, was a ELCA Lutheran, a non-evangelical group, and the moderately liberal Sandra O'Connor is Episcopalian.

As for religious affiliation, I think that less important than having someone who holds to the doctrine of original intent consistently. If evangelicals lack candidates with the intellectual ability and judicial experience to rise to the high bench, it is primarily because their leaders and institutions did not emphasize that persons in all callings of life, secular or religious, can give all to the glory of God. Most of their institutions of higher learning trained clergy and other religious workers, and not lawyers, doctors, engineers, and scientists.

If Catholics and Jews have done better in intellectual and commercial pursuits than evangelicals, it is the fault of evangelicals. Evangelicals should not fall into the affirmative action mentality.