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Exit Poll: McCain Still Not Attracting Evangelicals
CNSNews.com ^ | March 06, 2008 | Josiah Ryan

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.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: christianvote; evangelicals; highmaintenance; huckabee; mccain; oh2008; tx2008
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To: EternalVigilance

ok so you think the republic is doomed. what are you going to do about it?


41 posted on 03/06/2008 10:55:26 PM PST by ari-freedom (We need more conservatives like Buckley and fewer Coulters)
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To: ari-freedom

Fight liberals, just like always.


42 posted on 03/06/2008 10:56:08 PM PST by EternalVigilance ("What fellowship has light with darkness?")
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To: ari-freedom

Sad to see so many like yourself joining with the liberals.


43 posted on 03/06/2008 10:56:42 PM PST by EternalVigilance ("What fellowship has light with darkness?")
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To: Lijahsbubbe

so you didn’t support bush either then?


44 posted on 03/06/2008 10:56:50 PM PST by ari-freedom (We need more conservatives like Buckley and fewer Coulters)
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To: SatinDoll
Hey, Ari - they don’t get “it”.

After that comment you will need some chapstick to get that ari -a$$ taste out off your lips.


45 posted on 03/06/2008 10:57:02 PM PST by ARE SOLE (Agents Ramos and Campean are in prison at this very moment.. (A "Concerned Citizen".)
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To: EternalVigilance

how?


46 posted on 03/06/2008 10:57:09 PM PST by ari-freedom (We need more conservatives like Buckley and fewer Coulters)
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To: EternalVigilance

no, I don’t want Obama or Hillary in the WH and there’s nobody else out there who can win


47 posted on 03/06/2008 10:58:30 PM PST by ari-freedom (We need more conservatives like Buckley and fewer Coulters)
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To: davidtalker; ari-freedom; television is just wrong; ARE SOLE; EternalVigilance

>”Evangelicals...will never sit home and allow the socialist Obama or the beast to get a free pass.”<

You’re 100% correcto mundo, davidtalker. And here is why:

THE ROAD TO SERFDOM, by Friedrich A. Hayek

(This is old, published back in the 1940’s. But then tyranny never stops trying, for it is ancient and demonic in origin).

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981737/posts


48 posted on 03/06/2008 10:58:38 PM PST by SatinDoll (Desperately seeking a conservative candidate.)
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To: CindyDawg
What has his voting record been on protecting our border? Stopping terrorists?

--------------------------------------

"The first thing that I would do is call in John Kerry, Bob Kerrey, Joe Biden, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Henry Kissinger, Dick Lugar, Chuck Hagel, and several others and say, ‘We’ve got to get foreign policy, national security issues back on track.'" -When asked the first thing he would do if elected President, 3/00

"It's not social issues I care about." -2/3/08

"F*ck you! This is chickensh*t stuff." -to fellow GOP Senator John Cornyn on the Senate floor during an argument about McCain's amnesty bill, 5/19/07

49 posted on 03/06/2008 11:02:02 PM PST by Lijahsbubbe
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To: ari-freedom; EternalVigilance
you’re not a conservative if you are are ok with president hillary or obama.

ROTFLAMO!!! What gall! It's like a penguin giving an eagle pointers on flying...

What is not conservative is collusion with liberal forces to defeat conservatism. To support the enemy within...

You may keep your traitorous bastard. Next time, find a man of honor to shill for.

50 posted on 03/06/2008 11:02:07 PM PST by roamer_1 (Conservative always, Republican no more.)
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To: ari-freedom

I voted for Bush. I wouldn’t make that mistake again if the choice were available.


51 posted on 03/06/2008 11:03:30 PM PST by Lijahsbubbe
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To: kingattax
McCain is a liar and a traitor to his country. What thinking Christian could possibly vote for him? If we believe in a Lord who performs miracles, and tells us we can if we have faith in Him, why are some "conservatives" acting so much like the children of the Devil. I will not only not vote for McCain, I will tell all my life-long Republican friends I will have no respect for their courage, or their manhood, if they vote for a guy who: savaged the 1st Amendment, hates the 2nd amendment, sealed the records on Vietnman P.O.W.s, and can't even bring himself to vote for a BUSH tax-cut. Obama is supposed to be WORSE than this guy? Stop being blind guides.
52 posted on 03/06/2008 11:03:34 PM PST by farmer18th (Conservatives who vote McCain are like abused dogs who keep licking their master's hand...)
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To: ari-freedom

Work your heart out for him then. Call conservatives terrorists. Don’t let up. Please. I love folks to see the true face of McCain “Republicanism.”


53 posted on 03/06/2008 11:03:59 PM PST by EternalVigilance ("What fellowship has light with darkness?")
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To: ari-freedom

Absolutely unprovable assertion.

I’ll be VERY happy if McCain loses. As far as I’m concerned, he is worse than the Dims, because his actions will destroy any hope of rebuilding a conservative limited gov’t coalition in the R party.


54 posted on 03/06/2008 11:04:39 PM PST by SecAmndmt (Arm yourselves!)
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To: ari-freedom

Outside of who your masters gave you?

55 posted on 03/06/2008 11:04:49 PM PST by Lijahsbubbe
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To: SatinDoll; ari-freedom
Think, man! How do we wake them up?

Maybe y'all could take you're spray on over to WAnkerville. The WAnklebiters are all wide awake.

56 posted on 03/06/2008 11:05:22 PM PST by roamer_1 (Conservative always, Republican no more.)
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To: CindyDawg
No mas. We are in the mess we are in because the GOP dropped the ball.

There it is. WE gave these corrupt jerks the reins of power... It is our responsibility to take them out.

57 posted on 03/06/2008 11:08:40 PM PST by roamer_1 (Conservative always, Republican no more.)
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To: roamer_1

I don’t ‘keep’ anyone. I don’t want the country to be totally screwed just because I don’t agree with Mccain on every single issue or because he says things I don’t like.


58 posted on 03/06/2008 11:10:28 PM PST by ari-freedom (We need more conservatives like Buckley and fewer Coulters)
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To: roamer_1

Maybe YOU could use a dictionary!

The word “you’re” should read as “your”.


59 posted on 03/06/2008 11:10:54 PM PST by SatinDoll (Desperately seeking a conservative candidate.)
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To: ARE SOLE
After that comment you will need some chapstick to get that ari -a$$ taste out off your lips.

FOTFLAMO! What I like about you is your subtlety and tactfulness.

60 posted on 03/06/2008 11:11:21 PM PST by roamer_1 (Conservative always, Republican no more.)
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