31 WOMEN, LEADERSHIP, AND THE POWER OF THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT Women, Leadership, and the Power of the Religious Right Amanda Walker Amanda Walker is a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies Candidate in the Cook School of Leadership. INTRODUCTION Countless books and articles describe the rise of the Religious Right and its subsequent power within the Republican Party. On November 8, 2016, with the surprise election of Donald Trump, America was reminded of that power. The day after the election, Sarah Bailey revealed that eighty percent of white evangelicals overwhelmingly supported Trump. Evangelicals rationalized that Trump’s history of misogynistic remarks, womanizing, and abuse of women was not as detrimental to America’s moral foundation as Hillary Clinton’s liberal agenda.1 Trump also resonated with white evangelical women’s concern with illegal immigrants “raping” their children, the Democrat’s acceptance of abortion on demand, and liberals who wanted to create same-sex bathrooms.2 Therefore, fearing the loss of conservative family values, white evangelical women overwhelmingly chose Trump over Clinton.3 However, conservative white evangelicals’ ability to turn an election was not new. Between 1965 and 1975, conservative pundits alleged that America’s universities and political institutions were moving toward a liberal agenda. By 1976, Middle America saw the adverse effects, instability, and radicalization caused by the homosexual, abortion, and feminist movements.4 The 1965-1975 decade also provided Phyllis Schlafly the ammunition she needed to mobilize women against these movements and offer a voice to conservative women seeking to stop the radicalization of their children. Schlafly’s grassroots campaign,
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