From "Democratic candidates trying to reach religious voters" by Claire Brinberg, posted 7/23/07 at CNN.com
Tired of being seen by religious voters as too secular or even hostile toward religion, the Democrat party and its presidential candidates have launched an all-out effort to win their votes.
This effort is apparent on the stump, where many of the Democratic candidates speak openly of religion and God and present moral justifications for their policies. It's also going on behind the scenes, with presidential campaigns hiring strategists to coordinate their outreach to religious communities and holding weekly conference calls with religious leaders.
"It has to be authentic. This is not about Jesus-ing up the party, so to speak ... It just won't work if it's seen as a cynical ploy," said Mara Vanderslice, a Democratic strategist and evangelical Christian.
In 2004, Vanderslice was hired to coordinate John Kerry's religious outreach. She found herself working without a staff or much of a budget. She says the Kerry campaign failed to engage the faith community before it was too late to make a difference.
In the past, "there was almost a joke that you couldn't be a Christian and be a Democrat," she said.
Many voters wouldn't disagree with the joke, according to recent polling. In the 2006 midterm elections, 53 percent of weekly churchgoers voted Republican, as did 60 percent of people who attend church more than once a week, according to exit poll data. What's more, a Pew Forum poll taken just before the election showed only 26 percent of voters considered Democrats friendly to religion.
The leading Democratic presidential candidates are trying to overcome this so-called "God Gap." Video Democratic candidates not shy about religion »
"They want to pull away even several percentage points of religious people who up to now have voted Republican," said Michael Cromartie, who studies religion and politics at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington. "Remember, just a few percentage points in any number of states can change an election."
Senator Hillary Clinton has talked about how faith saw her through the turmoil of Bill Clinton's infidelity and political difficulties. Senator John Edwards openly speaks of his "deep and abiding love for [his] Savior, Jesus Christ." Senator Barack Obama has long woven the language of religion into his call for shared responsibility and social justice.
Even bigger changes have taken place behind the scenes.
Clinton and Obama have both hired strategists to coordinate faith outreach. Obama also has a faith point person in each of the three early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. His campaign held a series of "Faith, Action, Change" forums with New Hampshire voters and hosts weekly conference calls for religious leaders.
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