Democrats Are Wooing Religious Voters

The days when Republicans can feel confident Democrats won’t aggressively court religious voters are over, CNN reports.

Also, look at the lead of the CNN report and you’ll see an error (presumably) that is likely to raise some eyebrows among Democrats and possibly be the subject of some blog posts.

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.

We’ve boldfaced it for you, but it’s not a term Democrats love or Republicans use as a term of endearment. It’s highly controversial and likely an error. You seldom see it used in print news media leads.

The CNN piece outlines how Democrats are going to go try and give the GOP a run for its money in going after this constituency:

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.

So the Democrats have a lot to overcome. If there is an opening this year, it’s likely be because of deeply religious voters’ disillusionment over some scandals involving GOPers who talked a straight and narrow game but secretly played by zig zag rules in their private lives.

The Democrats are now taking active steps to narrow the so-called “God Gap,” CNN reports:

“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.

And on the national party level?

Changes are taking place with the party organization too. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who railed against “fundamentalist preachers” during his presidential campaign, is reaching out to evangelicals and other religious groups. Over the past 3 years, the DNC built a faith operation from scratch including a Faith Advisory Council, a research wing, polling and targeted messaging. They’re partnering with state parties to bring local clergy members into the tent.

But as the CNN report notes, much will hinge on whether the Democrats come across as sincere or converts to issues that weren’t downplayed but not precisely played up, either. Outreach can be effective but only if the day-to-day behavior and responses of candidates mesh and complement the goals in the outreach.

Clearly, however, there is a constituency out there. It has not left the Republican Party by any means but some members of that constituency are raising their eyebrows over some things about the Republican Party and the recent scandals. Republicans are fearful of the impact of these scandals in general.

Is that an opening big enough for Democrats who want to appeal to that constituency? Or will members of the Democratic Party who don’t feel as deeply about putting out feelers to win over this new constituency wind up chasing them away in 2008?

OF ADDITIONAL INTEREST
Faith And Politics Do Mix For Democrats
The Dems’ Fate: On the Left Wing And a Prayer
The Origins of the God Gap
Silent witnesses
TIME Poll: Faith of the Candidates
Value religious voter, Biden tells Democrats