“Values Voters” Partisan Priorities
This weekend, conservative religious activists gathered in Washington, DC for the annual “Values Voters Summit,” sponsored by the Family Research Council’s action arm.
While “values voters” might connote a broad-based coalition, this was by and large an event for Christian Republicans.
The event’s Presidential Straw Poll, but most striking is their list of potential targets for Congressional races.
The list and descriptions reads more like it was produced by the RNCC or Karl Rove than a faith-based organization.
A sampling of the list, posted by the Washington Independent (emphasis mine):
- Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.)* – Won in 2008 by only 727 votes! From conservative district.
- Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio) – Liberal in a moderate to conservative district.
- Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio) – One of Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s priority candidates. District usually votes conservative.
- Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) – Liberal in conservative district-beatable.
- Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Col.) – Has never won a statewide race. Conservatives can take back this important seat.
The full list contains a few references to abortion, but overall candidates appear to have made this list due to perceived political vulnerability, rather than their stance on FRC’s core issues.
Now of course, connecting faith to politics is hardly new, nor is it the sole domain of conservatives. But I would hope that this level of purely partisan electoral calculus is something both sides would seek to avoid, for our faiths’ sake as much as any political outcome.
*Disclosure: before running for Congress, Perriello was active in the faith-based community and helped found FPL’s sister organization, Faithful America