United Press International – January 28, 2008
MIAMI, Jan 28, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) — The economy overshadows other conservative social issues in the Republican U.S. presidential campaign as religion fades from prevalence, pollsters say.
The evangelical base makes up as much as 40 percent of the GOP primary electorate in some states, but the emergence of U.S. economic issues on the campaign trail points to a fractured and weakened conservative Christian base, The Miami Herald said Monday.
”The evangelical vote is not what it used to be,” said one pollster, adding that evangelical candidates have lost elections to moderates since 2006.
Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney stumped on the economy in campaign events in Florida Sunday, but neither attended religious services there, the Herald said.
The newspaper said some election analysts point to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who as a self-proclaimed evangelical seems to be drawing the religious vote away from the public spotlight.
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