DeSantis, Trump court Iowa's evangelical voters, promising Christian-focused policy

ABC News spoke with experts about the influence religion has in the GOP primary.

In November, Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis netted what seemed to be a key evangelical endorsement in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses -- now just less than three weeks away.

Bob Vander Plaats, president of the FAMiLY Leader organization and a major evangelical figure in the Hawkeye State, endorsed the governor in an interview on Fox News, calling DeSantis a "bold and courageous leader."

Whether or not Vander Plaats' endorsement makes a significant difference for DeSantis, it ties into a constant theme on the campaign trail: DeSantis, former President Donald Trump, and other candidates have been trying to court evangelical voters throughout their campaigns.

Employing religious rhetoric on the campaign trail is not a new phenomenon. What's novel about how Christianity is being discussed this election cycle, some experts told ABC News, are how candidates talk about policy and "culture war" ideas to appeal to Christian and evangelical voters -- a critical voting bloc in Iowa.

But experts and advocates warn that their language sometimes invokes Christian nationalism, which favors Christianity over other religions and conflates being Christian with being American.