The proper term would be "a segment of the population self-identified as Christians", because there certainly are self-identified Christians who completely reject the Jerry Falwell interpretation of Christ's message.
The Senator recognizes, if I read him correctly, that the ultimate flaw in the movement's leadership is its complete willingness to join racists, tax-dodgers, militarists, and freedom-hating fascists in a marriage of convenience in order to pursue a set of goals, the overturning of Roe being the premier teaser.
Their followers have been used and abused, but are quite easily led astray due in part to their shared belief that merely questioning the crap they are fed will doom them to eternal damnation. This huge bait and switch scam has still got a stranglehold on a segment of the society, and unfortunately is not being challenged effectively by enough other people of conscience who consider themselves Christians.
I'd personally like to see an effective counter movement within the Churches to expose and reject this unholy alliance, but I don't think that those who run the business of fundamentalist Religious brainwashing are likely to allow their golden goose to get cooked without an ugly fight.
