Speaking deep in the Bible Belt in South Carolina, former Senator Fred Thompson admits he doesn't attend church services regularly and says he has no plans to talk about religion in the campaign, Kim Chipman reports for Bloomberg:
Republican presidential contender Fred Thompson, who has based his campaign on appealing to conservative voters, said he isn't a regular churchgoer and doesn't plan to speak about his religion on the stump.
Thompson, in his first campaign stop in South Carolina, told a crowd of about 500 Republicans yesterday that he gained his values from ``sitting around the kitchen table'' with his parents and ``the good Church of Christ.''Talking to reporters later, Thompson, a former Tennessee senator, said his church attendance ``varies.''
Read the whole article at the above link. The general public's church attendance rates are far below what they were a generation ago, so it's not likely to affect Thompson in a general election. BUT ~ he is attempting to run as the candidate for social conservatives, and counting on strong support in the South to win the nomination. Much of his early appeal has been to such voters, who were looking for a champion for their issues in the field and not finding one with a practical chance to win.
Those South Carolinians quoted in the story seem willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but they were people who went to the trouble of coming out to see him on a weekday, so they might be considered leaning towards Thompson, if not already supporters.
Permalink | Send To A Friend | Linking Blogs | Digg this!
Filed under:
2008 Presidential Race, Primaries, Republican, Thompson
Tags: presidential campaign, primaries, Republicans, Thompson
Comments (5)
Every one of those southern... (Below threshold)1. Posted by kim | September 12, 2007 2:38 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Every one of those southern church goers knows and likes people who don't go to church. I think the Christians will recognize his honesty in not speaking about it and connect with his values, which he shares with them.
====================================
1. Posted by kim | September 12, 2007 2:38 AM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on September 12, 2007 02:38
2. Posted by kim | September 12, 2007 9:10 AM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Bill Clinton invoked religion twice as often in his speeches as Bush does. Clinton's mentions, however, were mostly in black churches.
=============
2. Posted by kim | September 12, 2007 9:10 AM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on September 12, 2007 09:10
3. Posted by Kyle Haight | September 12, 2007 2:10 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Speaking personally, nothing would make me drop support for Thompson faster than him bringing religion into his campaign as a major theme. I'm a principled, secular pro-freedom voter, and I'm very very tired of feeling like I'm unwelcome in the Republican party because I'm a atheist.
3. Posted by Kyle Haight | September 12, 2007 2:10 PM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on September 12, 2007 14:10
4. Posted by cheeseball | September 12, 2007 4:27 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
I'm a faithful and regular "church goer" and I appreciate an honest answer. I don't care how many times Fred goes to church. I want him to keep the country safe, not to evangelize.
4. Posted by cheeseball | September 12, 2007 4:27 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on September 12, 2007 16:27
5. Posted by kim | September 14, 2007 7:40 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Thank you. I thought so.
========================
5. Posted by kim | September 14, 2007 7:40 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2007 07:40