Miffed that the exit polls commissioned by the TV networks and major news outlets have refused to ask Democratic voters whether they’re evangelical/born again Christians, the liberal group Faith in Public Life took it upon themselves to so. This morning, it released results from post-Super Tuesday polls in Missouri and Tennessee. Conducted by Zogby International, they found that Democrats could be making headway in their effort to pick up a greater share of the evangelical vote:

One in three white evangelical voters in Missouri and Tennessee participated in
Democratic primaries. Comparatively, only one in four white evangelical voters in Missouri and Tennessee supported Senator John Kerry in the 2004 general election.

The poll also found that Hillary Clinton enjoyed a substantial advantage among white evangelicals in Tennessee and Missouri, echoing a Barna poll released last week:

Senator Hillary Clinton’s support from white evangelicals surpassed that of Senator Barack Obama’s in Missouri 54 percent to 37 percent and in Tennessee 78 percent to 12 percent.

Both the Faith in Public Life and Barna polls defy the conventional wisdom that Obama, seen as more open to discussing his religion than Clinton, stood a better chance among white evangelicals. As the Illinois senator faces upcoming primaries in Virginia, Ohio, and Texas, he’ll want to improve his numbers in that department. The question is how. God-o-Meter is open to suggestions.

9