Religion Less Of A Factor In New Hampshire Vote

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/Reuters: Religion Less Of A Factor In New Hampshire Vote
By REUTERS
Published: December 29, 2007

....Unlike the two other early-voting states of Iowa and South Carolina, in New Hampshire religion -- particularly the evangelical Christianity reflected in thousand-seat megachurches sprouting up in other parts of the country -- is not a major element in how voters select candidates in the state's January 8 nominating primary....

While Baptist minister and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is leading his Republican rivals in Iowa and South Carolina, the former Arkansas governor is trailing in New Hampshire. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Mormon, and McCain, an Episcopalian, are fighting for the lead in New Hampshire, where Huckabee is a distant fourth.

"Religious rhetoric actually doesn't go down that well here," said Linda Fowler, a professor of government at Dartmouth College. "New Hampshire is conservative fiscally, but it is moderate to liberal socially. It's a libertarian state."

Evangelical Christians make up a very small part of New Hampshire's population. A 2000 study by the Association of Religion Data Archives at Pennsylvania State University found that the largest religious group in the state was the 431,259 Roman Catholics. The study found there were 95,586 mainline Protestants and some 30,131 evangelical Protestants.

"They are a different crop of Christians," said Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "They are much more prepared to accept someone from an unconventional religion."...

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-usa-politics-newhampshire-religion.html