In recent weeks, the evangelical pastor Dante Gebel He became a figure of growing political interest in Argentina when he appeared measured in polls as a possible presidential candidate for the 2027 elections. Although his name is not formally launched nor does he have a party structure, his inclusion by consulting firms in presidential scenarios reflects the existence of political actors seeking to build a candidacy around his figure.
Appealing to his profile as an outsider alien to traditional politics, as he was Javier Milei a few years ago, before entering national politics; The pollster CB Consultora measured the religious leader in a hypothetical candidacy in the 2027 presidential elections. Conducted between December 9 and 13, the statistical investigation placed Gebel in just 1.8 percent in voting intention. While more established candidates like the libertarian president, with 34.9 percentand Axel Kicillof, With 23.5 percent, they consolidated themselves as a powerful electoral option.
Born in 1968 in Billinghurst, Gebel gained notoriety as a pastor and leader of large evangelical congregations through television programs and mass entertainment. The host of “La Noche Divina”, broadcast by El Trece and produced by Mario Pergolini, has become a regular voice of spiritual and motivational encouragement, and it was precisely the presenter of “Another Lost Day” who, in an interview, directly confronted him with the possibility of competing in politics, to which the religious man responded that he did not rule out the idea of getting involved if he could “do something” for the country.
His arrival on the Argentine media scene was inextricably linked to that link with Pergolini, one of the most influential communicators in the country, who hosted and promoted him in large audience spaces. This support made it easy for Gebel to go from being a preacher with international projection – established in the United States – to a familiar figure for the local audience, capable of filling stadiums and generating social mobilization without needing to pigeonhole himself into traditional politics.
The impetus for his possible candidacy does not come exclusively from his religious environment, but from political and union actors who see in him an alternative to traditional forces. The leader Juan Pablo Brey, holder of the Argentine Aircraft Association, He heads an informal project under the label “Gebel President,” arguing that his leadership and discourse of values could “embrace” broad segments of society disenchanted with conventional leadership.
The evangelical electorate in Argentina has grown steadily in recent decades, going from a minority percentage to representing a significant part of the population, in a context where evangelical religions have gained social and media space in the face of a Catholic Church in demographic decline. Although precise figures vary depending on measurements, previous studies show that evangelicals, particularly the Pentecostal obedience, rose from around 9% in 2008 to more than 15% in 2019 and with recent estimates suggesting an even more pronounced presence in certain segments of Argentine society.
The growth of this electorate has begun to translate into political attention. Several legislators with evangelical roots took office after this year’s elections, and the presence of religious leaders on the public agenda has expanded beyond the strict community sphere. This expansion of evangelism in national politics sets up a new scenario in which figures like Gebel can find resonance, although with obvious limitations given their still scarce electoral support in quantitative terms.
While some political sectors promote the idea of an “outsider of faith” to contest the Casa Rosada, other critics inside and outside of evangelicalism warn that a religious-based candidacy faces significant challenges in building a coherent government plan and in translating its media popularity into effective political support. For the moment, Gebel’s candidacy remains an incipient project with multiple interpretations, but his presence anticipates that the intersection between religion, media and politics will be a central issue in the next electoral cycle.
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