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.
what about obama’s actions? you might not have a country left to take back.
Why, thank you Freeper.
And we will after McCain's open embrace of illegals?
obama and hillary won’t? They are openly embracing them even now. They will stop the border fence. And the republicans will never be able to win again.
What condescension. It is as if any objection to him is without consideration, when in fact, I cannot think of a single person who has done more damage, and attempted to do more damage to the Constitution and our Bill of Rights than your dear friend John "the Traitorous Bastard" McFrigginCain.
There is no more grave a threat than that ill considered course- To allow these treasonous Republicans to continue their destruction by lifting up their anointed. I will have none of it, nor will my kind.
Hey, you know what? You didn’t answer my question.
How would you know when you refuse to run one?
Ohhhh nooooo..... (weeping and rending clothes)
LOL! Brilliant come-back, simply grand! The ol' spell-check retort! LOL!
You’re not a conservative if you are ok with a President McCain either.
What are you going to do about that?
i can think of many people who will do more damage and that includes Obama and Hillary.
well what am I supposed to do? someone has to be president and since nobody else is running, better have McCain win than hillary or obama
But the Republicans, if they grow a pair, will stop them.
They will stop the border fence.
Like the Republicans are trying so hard to make it happen? Please.
And the republicans will never be able to win again.
What's the difference if they are the same thing as Democrats anyway?
You know what Ari - I totally disagree with you on McCain, but the food on your homepage is definitely agreeable!
NOT IF THEY ARE OPPOSED!
well you’re against any republican who can win the hispanic vote. You’re against any republican who can appeal to moderates. So how can a republican ever win?
As opposed to just plain old screwed up?
McCain has tried and continues to try for granting amnesty to all 'God's children'. That issue alone is a dealbreaker, given the fervor with which McCain pursued the issue.
I'm blown away by the amount of support McCain is getting as it is on FR.
A citizen's duty is to vote their conscience - not to be motivated by FEAR or emotion.
opposed by who? if there was someone else then I would dump mccain and go with the knight in shining armor.
Let’s say we all get behind McCain and he gets elected.
In that scenario, what do you suppose the chances are of us getting a more acceptable candidate for 2012 or 2016?
Consider also an alternative scenario: McCain does not get conservative votes and loses. Do our chances of having the next nominee as someone who would advocate a conservative agenda go up or down in those circumstances?
but I do fear obama and hillary... :(
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