Posted on 03/06/2008 9:56:03 PM PST by kingattax
Evangelicals sent a strong message in Tuesday's Republican primaries in Texas and Ohio by voting overwhelmingly for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, while almost every other Republican demographic group chose Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz), exit polls show.
This was despite the fact McCain had already been dubbed the "presumptive nominee" of the Republican Party by the national media and political pundits. As predicted, Huckabee was soundly defeated in all four of Tuesday's primaries and caucuses and subsequently withdrew from the race.
Some analysts say that if McCain expects to capture evangelical vote in November, he must tailor his approach toward conservatives.
Exit polls provided by MSNBC reveal that the most devout Christians voted for Huckabee in large numbers. In Texas, for example, 60 percent of Christians who attend church more than once a week voted for Huckabee, while only 33 percent voted for McCain. In Ohio, 54 percent of church-goers voted for Huckabee compared with 45 percent who voted for McCain.
"McCain can get that vote in November but he is going to have to work for it," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council told Cybercast News Service." It would be a mistake to assume the conservative vote is just going to gravitate to the Republican nominee."
Perkins of the Family Research Council told Cybercast New Service that McCain must be more proactive in reaching out to conservatives if he expects evangelicals to come out to vote for him in November. "He already has the voting record to back up his claim to be a conservative," Perkins said, "But he has never led on evangelical issues. He is going to have to lead if he wants to get the socially conservative vote."
Perkins said McCain must convince conservatives that their issues are important to him and that he will advance them as president. "Really, it just depends on him, whether he moves towards them and communicate to conservatives that he really cares about them," said Perkins.
Keith Appel, senior vice president of Creative Response Concepts Public Relations, told Cybercast News Service that the exit poll results should tell McCain he must "actively pursue social conservatives. I have a feeling in the coming months he is going to make a substantial outreach to all types of conservatives, and if he does actively run on a commitment to conservative principles, I think he will find enthusiast evangelical support," Appel said.
Scott Skeeter, the director of survey research at the Pew Research Center, told Cybercast News Service that evangelicals will prefer McCain to the Democratic candidate. "It does not appear that McCain is unacceptable to conservative voters. When you offer him to evangelicals against the Democrats, they don't have trouble voting for him rather than Obama," said Keeter. "The real question is, how much enthusiasm is there for John McCain? He needs to stress the things that connect him to that constituency"
The MSNBC exit poll also substantiated the link between evangelical, churchgoing Christians and people who consider themselves to be "very conservative." People who considered themselves to be "very conservative" were the only other group, aside from evangelicals, who voted for Huckabee in significant numbers in Tuesday's contests.
In Texas, 50 percent Republican voters chose the former Baptist minister compared with 38 who voted for McCain; in Ohio, 51 percent of Republicans chose Huckabee compared with 41 percent who voted for McCain.
ROTFL! Stop it, I am spilling my coffee.
GHW Bush was known for “Read my lips”
Juan will be known for “Look into my dead black eyes”
Have you noticed those eyes” Reminds me of a shark.
Bless your son and your family. Give him a warm hello from my family. Glad to hear another voice of reason. I can love my brothers and sisters in the military and honor their service most by telling the GOP I will NOT vote for someone who will not let them complete their mission. Waterboarding or letting a terrorist run free... Mccain and his supporters need to wake up.
LOL! Sorry, pal. I don't know any Conservatives that agree with you there.
It's the Globalist moderates and RINOs that subscribe to the new definition of "free trade". Lack of restraint will be the downfall of this free-for-all "capitalist" dream.
Reagan used tariffs- Just ask Harley Davidson how that worked out for them... Yet I don't recall any screaming ninnies moaning "protectionism" back then, do you?
Many freepers thought Fred was the true conservative. But they should have been against him because the one major bill he co-sponsored in the Senate was mccain-feingold.
Fred is no conservative. Fred is a moderate with Federalist tendencies, where he feels they should apply. McCain-Feingold should have been a big hairy clue.
Skip it or write in, whatever. Vote DOWN BALLOT and do NOT stay home!
= )
it’s a matter of perspective
i’d rather continue to fight to make Conservatism premier with McCain as president than the Great Brown Hope or Cankles.
it still sux but I’ll take it
McCain won't tailor poop toward conservatives when he can rely on enough democrats to cross-over to vote for him. He'd rather have their votes than more support in his own party (cough-cough).
I sure hope so Bob.
I started out hoping Tanc or Dunc could pull out a rabbit.
Then gave Fred large only to be stunned by his start.
Then even ponied up 500 to Romney.
Now?
we’ll support McCain but my enthusiasm and angle of wallet opening will be very dependent on his VP choice and his utterances...which are mixed so far
his strong suit is his war guts, war attitude and enthusiasm ...if the latter is on the right things...i do figure him to make decent SCOTUS appointments
but like others pointed out, when he gets angry and PC like the Cunningham incident, it leaves me cold
I will not vote for or endorse a candidate who won't abide by his own sponsored and ill written campaign finance legislation and who takes millions of dollars from a mystery donor south of the border.
I refuse to vote for a candidate who accepts embryonic stem cell research and who back pedals on Roe v. Wade.
I will not champion a candidate that actively pursues to take measures that will hamstring our military and intelligence community's efforts to fight and kill terrorists.
I will not endorse or campaign for a candidate that wishes to provide captured terrorists the same rights and protections under the U.S Constitution as a U.S Citizen.
I will not participate by association and goofy bi-partisan legislation,in the global warming scam like McCain does.
I will not support McCain, who, as an advocate of the UN sponsored ICC, accepts the likelihood of a Star Chamber that threatens to try and convict members of our armed forces of war crimes at the drop of a hat.
I absolutely refuse to vote for, support, or in any way, encourage an open borders,illegal amnesty champion like McCain.
I refuse to meekly and blindly accept the globalist agenda that McCain operates under that ravages this nation with 20+ million illegals and another 10-20 million to finish the job over the next ten years.
If you are willing to accept what the proven liberal McCain has to offer, then:
a. You are no conservative
b. You deserve who you vote for
Now, WHAT are YOU going to do about it?
“Our ability to win the White House ended the day Hunter left the field... He was the last Conservative...”
Agree with you on that. And did you notice how little opportunity he was given to get his message out when he was still in the running! I remember one of those “new format debates” (the day we actually have a political debate in this country will be something, won’t it?)...Duncan Hunter was given maybe 2-3 minutes of actual face-time. All the questions were directed to Romney, Guiliani, and a few others. In other words, the conservative position on much of the issues was never aired to the American people.
There is no dog in this hunt for conservatives. Time to think about those elections closer to home.
As an aside; is that or is that not a hand towel around Hillary's neck?
McCain is no Conservative. He is stridently against Conservatism. How does that make 'Conservatism premier'?
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