"Ernest graduated from Baylor University -- that should help him with the Baptist."
If I'm not mistaken, Istook converted to Mormonism relatively late in life. Perhaps he was a Baptist when he attended Baylor. Could he be more vulnerable to bias from certain sectors because he left the Baptist denomination to join the Mormon Church?
I'm not from Oklahoma, am not a Baptist, and would have no problem supporting a Mormon candidate if he's a good conservative such as Istook. But I recall some FReepers posting that some Oklahoma Republicans were concerned that if Istook ran for the Senate he could lose a portion of the rural Baptist vote because of his religion. My point is that if Istook's religion was deemed in 2004 to be potentially problematic among certain voters, Istook and his supporters need to work proactively to assure those voters that Istook shares their values.
While Brad Henry may be vulnerable in 2006, he will not be a pushover, especially in rural areas. We need to minimize as much as possible the number of Bush-voting conservatives that vote for Henry, and rural areas will be the number-one battlefield. Istook needs to be prepared to fight and fight hard.