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 Citing high-profile dust-ups over religious freedom bills in
Indiana and Arkansas, the contenders are painting a vivid picture of
faith under fire.
“In the past month, we have seen religious liberty under assault at
an unprecedented level,” Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said on Saturday
at a forum sponsored by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition outside
Des Moines.
In both Indiana and Arkansas, bills aimed at protecting religious
liberty were modified after critics, including a number of
corporations, asserted the laws would allow discrimination against
lesbians and gays.
On the campaign trail, Republican hopefuls are blasting the
modifications.
“Corporate America needs to be careful,” Louisiana Governor Bobby
Jindal said on Saturday.
“We’ve got legislation in Louisiana to protect people of faith and
of conscience. … Corporate America is not going to bully the
governor of Louisiana,” he said, drawing loud applause.
 Iowa traditionally draws early and intense campaigning by
presidential aspirants because it is the first electoral contest in
the long primary season. But candidates face a dilemma there: Do
they emphasize the socially conservative principles that play well
with Iowa’s more conservative Republican electorate? Or do they
stress a more mainstream conservatism that might play better later
in the campaign?
Gay marriage is a particularly thorny issue, especially with the
U.S. Supreme Court set to hear oral arguments this week in a legal
challenge to laws prohibiting same-sex unions.
Overall, 50 percent of Americans now support gay marriage, according
to data from Reuters/Ipsos, with 34 percent opposing it and 16
percent unsure. Still, according to polling from the Pew Research
Center, nearly 70 percent of white evangelicals oppose gay marriage,
and in 2012, about 57 percent of Republican voters in the Iowa
caucuses described themselves as evangelical Christians.
COURTING CONSERVATIVES
A win in Iowa, or even a high placement, gives a candidate more
visibility as the race moves on to other states, but it is no
guarantee of later success. In 2008 and 2012, the top spots in the
Republican contest were taken by former Arkansas Governor Mike
Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum,
respectively, neither of whom went on to get the party’s nomination.
Still, Republicans hopefuls, including some familiar faces, remain
eager to court Iowa conservatives.
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“We are moving rapidly toward the criminalization of Christianity,”
Huckabee said in conference call with conservative pastors organized
by the Family Research Council, a Christian public policy
organization. An audio recording of the call was obtained and posted
online by Right Wing Watch, a progressive group that criticizes
conservatives.
Huckabee picked up the thread again on Saturday.
“Let me be clear tonight: I’m not backing off because what I’m
saying is true,” he said. His words were greeted with murmurs of
“That’s right” from the crowd, along with strong applause.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker echoed the warning. “We should be
standing up for religious freedom,” he said at Saturday’s forum. “In
America, we should be the shining star that says you should be able
to practice your religion.”
Two prominent potential Republican contenders were missing at the
Faith and Freedom gathering: Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Both are perceived as being from
the party’s more moderate wing. Bush has argued for comprehensive
immigration reform, and Christie, as governor of New Jersey,
ultimately opted not to appeal a court decision that legalized gay
marriage in his state.
A more moderate stance, especially on gay marriage, may resonate
particularly with young voters. Among 18-to-29-year-olds, according
to Reuters/Ipsos, 76 percent now support gay marriage. Even among
Republicans in that age group, same-sex marriage enjoys 51 percent
support.
Raymond Starks, a 21-year-old student at Drake University who
interned on Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign, said on Saturday he favored
same-sex marriage, although he also valued religious liberty.
“I would support laws allowing for conscientious objection in some
circumstances,” he said.
(Editing by Sue Horton)
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