A gathering of religious conservatives drew nearly all the GOP
presidential hopefuls to a single stage, a claim that a South Carolina
debate and a well-publicized forum in New Hampshire couldn’t make about
their recent events.
The Faith and Freedom Coalition’s two-day conference proved that the
religious right still plays a major role in the nominating process, even
if it‘s less organized than during the Christian Coalition’s heyday and
economic issues are dominating the early campaign.
The gathering was a tryout for candidates hoping to fill a void left
by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. The Southern Baptist minister won
the 2008 Iowa caucus but is not running this time.
Most of the candidates spent more time on money issues than on
spiritual matters on the opening day of the conference Friday. But they
generally portrayed the federal debt and health care policies as moral
concerns.
They also paid tribute to religious conservatives who often place
abortion, gay marriage and other social issues ahead of questions such
as taxes and spending.
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