The Evangelical Vote

The Rev. Michael Ruffin is an ordained Southern Baptist, a "Bible-believing Christian," and a political independent, unsure of who will win his vote this fall.

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Associated Press

First-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin talks in her office in Anchorage, Alaska. Palin bas bee named as a possible wild-card candidate for John McCain's vice presidential choice.

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Associated Press

First-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin talks in her office in Anchorage, Alaska. Palin bas bee named as a possible wild-card candidate for John McCain's vice presidential choice.

"I'm really torn. The initial impulse is to vote for (John) McCain, but the idea of change is attractive," said the Rev. Ruffin, the pastor of The Hill Baptist Church in Augusta.

While Democrats have begun to court religious voters typically aligned with the Republican Party, some Augusta evangelicals, like the Rev. Ruffin, say they have yet to be swayed.

"We don't fit in anywhere," he said.

He is looking for a candidate who prioritizes the economy but also cares passionately about the poor, the environment and accessible health care.

"No one group has all the answers," the Rev. Ruffin said.

He's not the only one hesitant to put his confidence in a single candidate or party, according to the results of a study released Aug. 21 by the Pew Forum for Religion and Public Life.

Four years ago, 57 percent of white evangelical Protestants described themselves as strong supporters of President Bush. Today, just 28 percent say they are strong backers of Mr. McCain.

Democrats haven't picked up those evangelical votes.

Among white evangelicals polled in the Pew Forum survey this summer, Mr. McCain holds a lead over U.S. Sen. Barack Obama similar to the one Mr. Bush held over Sen. John Kerry four years ago. In both 2004 and 2008, roughly 70 percent said they would vote for the Republican and 24 percent for the Democrat.

Bill Faircloth, a member of the conservative Abilene Baptist Church in Martinez, says he doesn't understand how that can be the case.

"For me personally, I don't see how an evangelical can vote for a Democrat," Mr. Faircloth said.

He supported Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist pastor, in the Republican primary, and says he'll now vote for Mr. McCain because he likes the candidate's stance on the Iraq war and the economy. Mr. McCain's vice presidential pick, Sarah Palin, only helped solidify his vote.

The Alaska governor is strongly against abortion and grew up in the Assemblies of God Fellowship, a large Pentecostal denomination.

"It's a super pick," Mr. Faircloth said. "I'm excited. She's bold with her stances. We need somebody like that in Washington."

He doesn't, however, like Mr. McCain's policies on abortion and immigration, and says he'd prefer to vote for someone more socially conservative, as Mr. Huckabee was.

"It's one of those deals where you choose the lesser of two evils," he said.

Democrats are often more religious than they're given credit for, said Sid Gates, a Christian and self-identified community activist who has organized debates at Augusta State University on the role of religion in societal issues.

"There are more issues out there than abortion," Mr. Gates said. "There are issues -- the environment, just war, taxation -- that Christians care about."

The commonly constructed evangelical voting bloc also leaves out some of the Democrat's most ardent supporters -- black evangelicals, said the Rev. J.C. Phinizy, an officer of the Richmond County Democratic Party and a retired preacher who once led what is now known as the Life in the River Worship Center.

Black evangelicals voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Kerry in 2004. It could happen this year for Mr. Obama, because nearly 80 percent of the members of historically black churches identify as Democrats, said the Pew Forum's 2008 Religious Landscape Survey.

"It's never as simple as people make it," the Rev. Phinizy said. "I don't believe in abortion. The Holy Scripture is against that. But if we want America to change for the better, we've got to turn from all of our wicked ways."

That includes, he said, anything that comes before God.

"Republicans believe in man, in money and all their mighty missiles," he said. "That's not going to save America. Abortion can't keep us from making bigger changes."

If evangelicals have one political goal this year, it should focus on "a broader social agenda," the Rev. Ruffin said.

"We can't just toe the line because somebody says to. It leaves us stuck in the middle, and that can be a lonely state of being."