Religion Becoming a Key Factor for Republican Presidential Hopefuls

At a time when the race to become the next President of the United States is as heated as ever, Republican voters have begun to look for ways to differentiate the candidates, and one way they do that is through religion. The first presidential caucus, held in Iowa on January 3rd, has a large block of evangelical Christians, and who they choose to support will greatly influence their decision. In fact, about 44% of all caucus-goers in Iowa consider themselves born-again Christians, and the candidates are scrambling to shore up some of that vote.

One such candidate, Mitt Romney, has faced a great deal of skepticism because he is a Mormon, and most voters are not familiar with the faith. He is even considering addressing the nation in a speech describing the similarities between his faith and other forms of Christianity, because he thinks it is hurting him in the polls. Romney tries to emphasize the fact that he believes in Jesus Christ, in upholding strong family values, and has a pro-life stance.

Fred Thompson, whose national support has been falling since he entered the race, does not attend church on a regular basis, only when he visits his mother in Tennessee, but assures voters that he is still a Christian. He stated in an interview published Monday, "I'm OK with the Lord, and the Lord is OK with me, as far as I can tell," but voters still aren't convinced as he rarely discusses his faith while on the campaign trail.

The candidate who has benefited most from the support of the religious right is Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas. Before his political career, Huckabee was a Southern Baptist minister, and his small town approach to campaigning and set of values is really impressing Christian voters. A poll by Rasmussen Reports shows Huckabee receiving the support of 48% of all evangelical voters in Iowa, more than all the other candidates combined. He is hoping to ride this wave of support to an Iowa victory, where he is currently leading in most polls.

While I don't believe that religion should be a key determining factor on whether or not to vote for someone, I think that it should play at least a small part. Religion is something that is very important to some voters, and they want to make sure that the leader of their country has the same or a similar belief system that they do. We will have to wait and see who is going to come out on top for the Republican nomination, but religion is sure to play a big part, and we won't have to wait too long before the nomination process gets moving to find out.