A University of South Carolina Aiken professor has written a study that shows the Mormon faith of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney poses a challenge for religious conservative voters.
The former Massachusetts governor did nearly twice as well among non-evangelical voters as he did among evangelicals, having won just 22 percent of their votes, according to exit poll data analyzed by political science professor Bob Botsch after the South Carolina GOP primary, which was held Jan. 21.
A team from USC Aiken’s Social Science and Business Research Lab compared Romney’s percentage of the vote in each of South Carolina’s 46 counties with the percentage of Southern Baptists who live in that county. The researchers found that where there are lower concentrations of Baptists, Romney won a higher percentage of the votes.
“Mitt Romney is facing a problem similar to that faced by John F. Kennedy in 1960,” Botsch stated in his study. “The problem can be captured in almost the same question JFK’s staff asked a little over a half century ago. Would religious conservatives vote for someone of his religion (Catholic then and Mormon now)? Strong empirical evidence from the South Carolina GOP primary suggests that the answer is often no.”
Botsch says the data offer explanation for voter discomfort with Romney, at least among religious conservatives, adding that there are implications in a general election: “Should Romney win the nomination, religion could well cost him states where the election is close and where significant numbers of religious fundamentalists reside.”
I am a devout "follower" of Jesus Christ, and therefore, a Christian. But I realize that there are very moral and intelligent people of other faiths. We merely disagree doctrinally.
To not vote for someone of the Mormon faith as the sole litmus test is to ensure 4 more years of disaster. How simple minded?
Mitt has magic underwear and that could come in handy this November.
This headline should read "Some people who believe in silly stuff are holding it against Romney that he, too, believes in silly stuff."
Realitycheck09: Great comment. The truth is, the newer the religion, the crazier the stuff has to be because all of the old crazy stuff has already been taken by the traditional religions. To me, watching an evangelical christian argue with a Mormon about whether or not he is a christian, amuses me. It's like watching two trekkies argue about who was better, Kirk or Picard? Silly, meaningless and pointless. A great man once said, "if every christian who ever accused another christian of not being a christian were to disappear, there would be no more christians".
Tole ya'll from the get-go the far right bible thumpers were his problem.
Tole ya'll from the get-go the far right bible thumpers were his problem. If Romney was a Baptist or Methodist, Obama woud not be POTUS today.
Missed in the snide comments is the subject of the article. I'm shocked.
I'm not a Morman or a fan of Mitt Romney's. Still, his religion doesn't seem a threat.
In the Doctrine and Covenants, it's taught that God established our Constitution by wise men whom he raised up.
http://mormonbeliefs.org/mormon_beliefs/thoughts-mormon-beliefs/the-morm...
So, Romney ought to think more highly of our nation than to trash it, especially since the LDS church, which is headquartered here, would suffer from our nation's collapse. But I wouldn't be surprised if Newt Gingrich and his globalist pals in the Council on Foreign Relations were to take us to the cleaners.
Kojak, I support Ron Paul and believe in the only true God. Yes, a person can trust in God's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, without becoming a Bible thumper.
Still, I'd rather take a chance on Mitt Romney than risk being betrayed by Newt Gingrich again. Romney isn't a college professor like Gingrich or Bill Ayers. He's done more than study capitalism: he's practiced it and succeeded at it.
Kojak, I also wish more people supported Ron Paul. Whether he wins or loses, I'll vote for him. I think God is concerned more with whether I'm a good steward of my vote than whether I vote for the most electable candidate. Until Ron Paul suspends his campaign, he has my vote.
Magic boxers or magic briefs? The answer could influence women’s votes.
nothin - so do you plan to vote for that honest, upstanding, and pure conservative Newt Gingrich? (sarcasm font)
I sent Romney's campaign a suggestion - likely went to file 13 but it was worth a try. I told him to not ignore his faith but to make an infomercial concerning many of the moral similarities of his faith and Christians. Certainly he should not be apologetic, of course, but tie in a theme of faith, a divine Creator, and patriotic fabric of this country. Do this with small little snippets of Newt's ever-changing denominations based on whoever he sleeps with at the time. One has consistency and the other does not. Who do you trust? :)
I'm a Southern Baptist. We believe Christ rose up from the grave and flew into the heavens. We don't drink alcohol even though Jesus did just because and we don't dance with clothes on. There is nothing weird about us. Anyone who believes Christ came to America is bizarre. But I'll overlook it and think of him as one of those Holy Roller Pentecostals.
It is not about the church they attend, it's about the Constitution they will defend.
I agree with fundamental arminian, Ron Paul!!!!!! I to will support him until the end. If the media was not so one sided more people would have had a chance to learn more about him but as usual you only get the parts they want you to get.
Interesting how well Ron Paul does in this head-to-head against Obama.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/president_obama_v...
If the article is saying that it aready did, he is right about SC. The other states remain to be counted. I hope most of us know better.
Our country is at risk, here.
Serious question. Would you rather have a Mormom president, someone who believes Christ visited us only a few hundred years ago or someone who doesn't believe in Christ? Someone who sat in Jerimiah Johnson's church? Someone who is Muslim? Someone with no religion? I know who I'd pick.
Cdr wrote:
. . . not believing in Christ doesn't make a person unfit to lead.
Well, if it's not that, then it must be something else making Obama unfit.
We of the judeo/christian faith need to be watchful.
Jan /31/12
"Amid growing rancor between the Catholic hierarchy and the White House, Republican rising star Sen. Marco Rubio is pushing a bill that takes a swipe at the... ..'
We will always and forever need prayer and nobody needs it more than the leaders of the free world.
I'll Amen that allhans! How about prayers for their brains that common sense would come back to them? Little Lamb, there MAY be other reasons, but not believing in CHRIST, imo makes anyone unfit to run this great country.
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