Presidential election: Religious voting groups could determine the winner

[cbayer]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/presidential-election-religious-voting-groups-could-determine-the-winner/2012/10/31/2b2f91e6-2380-11e2-ba29-238a6ac36a08_story.html




By Mark J. Rozell, Published: October 31
Mark J. Rozell is a professor of public policy at George Mason University, author of numerous studies on the intersection of religion and U.S. politics and a contributor to The Washington Post’s local faith leader network. His latest book is “Religion and the American Presidency.”

Modern election campaigns prominently feature appeals to religiously motivated voters. Candidates and consultants understand the powerful impact of the faith factor for many voters.

Eleven ways religion influenced politics in 2011:?From Rick Perry’s prayer revival to Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith, religion has played an inspirational and controversial role on the campaign trail.

Yet there has been notably much less “God talk” by the candidates in this presidential election season than there was in 2008 and especially in 2004. President Obama and former governor Mitt Romney have mostly avoided any mention of their own religious identities and, to the extent that they have engaged in religious-based discourse, it has been of a very general nature regarding their commitments to belief in God and to how faith guides their personal and public lives.

Each candidate recognizes the downsides of emphasizing his own faith tradition, as surveys show substantial-sized minorities of voters expressing discomfort with Romney’s Mormon faith or not accepting the authenticity of Obama’s identity as a Christian.

Religious identity nonetheless remains a key factor in the election. The voting patterns of religious groupings are hard to ignore. Consider the following breakdowns, first with a look at the one-party-leaning groups:

more at link