I suspect the Democrats have largely written off the evangelical vote…except for the quadrennial front page story in the New York Times — taken out and dusted off, with a word changed here and there, every four years — about how evangelicals are abandoing the GOP and moving to the Democrats in ever-great numbers.

Your post reminded me of a story I read of the Bush strategy to woo the Amish . . . which had important numbers in such states as Ohio . . . in 2004.

The Kerry campaign totally dismissed the Amish, of course. Rove, however, gave some thought to winning their votes.

Knowing their modesty, and their dislike for garish display, Rove had Bush visit Amish communities without ANY press coverage whatsoever. Moreover, Rove had Bush merely introduce himself and talk about himself for a bit.

Bush explicitly DID NOT ask for the Amish vote, or ask that they consider him and vote at election time.

Respect and cultural sensitivity paid off for Bush.
Kerry, not surprisingly, won zero Amish votes.

For the first time the Amish came out in significant numbers to vote for Bush, reinforcing his strength in rural and exurban regions.

The MSM in Ohio were focused entirely on campuses and inner cities, and ignored Bush's strengths. Hence the Democrats stunned shock on election day as these discounted voters blew Kerry's Youth Vote out of the water.