Evangelical is sort of a blanket term used for Christians who believe that faith plays a very important factor in their lives. They can be liberal or conservative (they tend to largely lean towards the latter), but the defining factor is their belief in the importance of religion. Moreover, Evangelicals have a strong belief in redemption and forgiveness, which partially explains Gingrich overwhelming victory in the aforementioned demographic. In an Evangelical gathering of 3,000 in Iowa during Thanksgiving, Gingrich had this to say about his past and his reform: "all of that has required a great deal of pain, some of which I have caused others, which I regret deeply," Gingrich said, "all of those required having to go to God to seek both reconciliation, but also to seek God's acceptance, that I had to recognize how limited I was." Another factor that gave Gingrich the edge over Mitt Romney is "'One of the things that Newt Gingrich has going for him is that he's not Romney,' says pollster Robert Jones". According to the article listed below, there is a discrepancy between Evangelicals about Mitt Romney's Mormon faith. It states that "half of white evangelicals don't believe that Mormons are Christians" and that many are dubious about Romney's inconsistent position on "social issues like gay rights and abortion". In light of this information, it is interesting to see how Gingrich and the other candidates will fare in the upcoming primaries where Evangelicals play a large role. It seems as if the GOP race has been blown wide open... again!
Special thanks to: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/08/143361304/why-some-evangelicals-back-thrice-wed-gingrich
2 comments:
We have to remember that that economics is not the only field in which behavior obstructs logic. Gingrich has a past speckled with extramaritial controversies, but to many Evangelicals, as long as he remains a Christian in name, he remains a preferable option over the (in the eyes of many Evangelicals) cult of Mormonism upheld by Romney. A Fox exit poll asked voters how much it mattered to them that their candidates shared their religious beliefs, revealing that only 9% of those who voted for Romney agreed with the aforementioned statement, as opposed to 45% of Gingrich voters.
In keeping with the GOP's recent dalliance with open marriages, journalist Marc Ambinder quipped, "Republican voters seem to have asked Mitt Romney for an open relationship tonight...have some fun before they marry him...you know?"
Despite our supposed separation of church and state in the United States government, it is shocking how strongly religion factors into campaign politics. Forget having a minority or female candidate, now a days it would be more shocking to have a Jewish or Muslim candidate
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