John Thune’s endorsement should help Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney win over wary Evangelicals.
Mitt Romney received a big endorsement in the form of South Dakota Sen. John Thune today.
Though Thune’s endorsement revolves around the “conservative businessman’s” economic acumen — “we can choose a leader who has the needed experience to lead an economic recovery,” he said — the senator’s backing is really about evangelicals wary of Mormon Romney.
Thune, once considered a potential presidential candidate, is a super star among the GOP’s social conservative, largely evangelical base. GOP 12 notes, “He’s got major cred with evangelicals — he counts himself one, went to a Christian school and actually lived on C Street without falling victim to Bourbon Street.” This religious Republican street cred will help Romney win over Evangelicals — 53% of whom still claim Mormons are not Christian, according to Pew Research, and about 15-20% of whom say they will not vote for Mitt Romney.
Want more proof that Thune’s religion is the biggest factor behind his Romney endorsement? Look at the backdrop for his official announcement: Des Moines Iowa, a state where social conservatives rule the electoral roost. If Romney wants to win their vote, and that state’s caucus, he needs some serious evangelical heavy-weights behind him.
And Thune’s endorsement couldn’t come a moment too soon. CNN reports that social conservative leaders in Iowa are currently hatching a scheme to keep Romney from winning the nomination.
Representatives for leading social conservative groups in Iowa held a secret meeting Monday as part of an effort with one main goal: find and support a Republican presidential candidate who can stop Mitt Romney in Iowa.
The idea: avoid splintering the conservative vote in the state by rallying around one GOP rival who could win Iowa’s Jan. 3 caucus and then challenge Romney in New Hampshire and the other early voting states.
Social conservatives know they have to ramp up their anti-Romney efforts, because a Pew Research survey found that 91% of white evangelicals prefer even Romney over Obama.
Image via The Argus Leader.
November 24, 2011 at 12:37 pm, Anonymous said:
Despite the political and even religious diatribe, most of which is innuendo and false accusations from the undereducated…
It’s still going to be about the economy and who can get the job done!
Romney knows and understands world economics. In the private sector, for most of his life, he successfully and profitably managed large companies, helped turn around large companies that were sinking and helped other companies get started, saving and creating thousands of jobs, Domino’s Pizza and Staples to name just a few of many.
Funny. Half of MA loves what Romney did, the other half hate him, maybe because he left after completing only one term. Maybe he is not a “career” politician, do you always need a “career” politician to get the job done?
Yes, he worked as the MA governor for his entire term for FREE!!! Who else would have done that!?
Yes, during his 4 years as governor MA ranked 49th in job creation for half of his term before moving up to 47th in his final year. Not a stellar record to some. Yet Romney also reduced corporate loopholes and cut state spending in order to cut taxes and increase consumer spending. MA had a huge deficit, about 3 Billion dollars when he started, and he left MA with a 600 million surplus and balanced budget at the end of his term (yes, he raised state “fees”, but still kept them below the national average). He can’t help it if the government screwed up after he left.
MA’s super majority Democrat controlled legislature wanted desperately some kind of Universal Health care program. Romney worked with them to create one that would work, similar to mandated auto insurance (most states have such mandates). It is estimated that 98% of the residents are now covered. It was within projected budget (about 1% of the State budget) until Romney left and MA made changes to the program and now it is costing them. Romney believes that states — not the federal government — should be free to design their own plans for covering the uninsured if that is what they want to do.
Yes, he compromised on some political issues, again dealing with a super majority Democrat Legislature and Judicial Branch in MA, in order to keep the state government working together and moving forward.
He turned around a struggling 2002 Winter Olympics with millions in debt and made it into one of the most profitable Olympics in history. And only took a $1 dollar salary. Who else would have done that!?
He is against federalization and big government and believes in state’s rights to govern their own affairs.
He believes in marriage between a man and woman, the importance of family, and lives the example.
He is for a strong military and believes the borders should be better protected.
The list of real positives is far greater than the supposed list of negatives.
And the Democrat Party is most afraid of Romney.