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South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg could have a tough battle to pull some Iowa voters to his mix of progressive politics and religion.
Buttigieg "behaves like a big guy," said Bob Vander Plaats, president of the conservative Christian organization Iowa, The Family Leader, but "his policy does not correspond to what we believe in the scriptures nor in our beliefs . " the best interest of our country ".
"If the policies do not line up, I think the Iowans – and more than the evangelical ones – are wise enough to see through," Vander Plaats told reporters. Washington Examiner.
Earlier this month, Buttigieg became the first Democratic candidate to hire a National Director of Religion Awareness. In June, he attended a forum hosted by progressive Christian leader William Barber and last week attended a forum on a black church in Atlanta. But in April, he refused an invitation to the July summit organized by The Family Leader. Vander Plaats said that he had invited Buttigieg and other candidates to "have an open dialogue and a conversation about their faith".
"Each of them presented a vision of unity for the country, and I thought that if you were thinking of creating a vision of unity, why not come to a stage that would be an unlikely step for you, "said Vander Plaats.
Buttigieg's support for access to abortion, for example, could limit any willingness that his willingness to talk about God to win it to evangelical voters.
"I think the issues, mainly abortion, a little immigration … in evangelism, it's really an exciting topic." As long as the Democratic Party will continue to go to the extreme on this subject, I do not think that talking about God, it will make a big difference, "said Dave Miller, senior pastor of Southern Hills Baptist Church in Sioux City, Iowa . Washington Examiner.
The "main obstacle" to reaching the white evangelicals is a candidate "who is not even willing to listen to them and respond to their concerns, but rather seeks to use the white evangelicals as a leaf to shake the foundation," moderator Michael from Faith 2020 on podcast Porter says the Washington Examiner. "And frankly, we've seen Mayor Pete do both up to now in this campaign."
"He seemed to be very open, he seemed to want to make the link between his values and those of white evangelicals and other Christians. And we have also seen him use white evangelicals as a leaf for his campaign. And this is obviously not a successful strategy, "said Wear, who led the raising of faith during President Barack Obama's re-election campaign in 2012.
Evangelical Christians make up about one-quarter of the United States population and nearly 30 percent in Iowa, the first caucus state. Gaining the support of a sizeable minority of white evangelicals in a general election could play a decisive role.
Wear says the mayor's criticism of Vice President Mike Pence's evangelical faith was not "necessarily helpful."
Buttigieg spoke to Pence at the annual LGBTQ Victory Fund brunch in April.
"Speaking only to myself, I can tell you that if I was gay, it was a choice that was made, well above my pay level," Buttigieg said. "That's what I wish the Mike Pences of the world I would understand.If you have a problem with who I am, your problem does not come from me.Your quarrel, sir, concerns my creator."
Wear also pointed to Buttigieg's attack on "so-called conservative Christian senators" in the second democratic debate, as the mayor said they "were blocking a bill to raise the minimum wage when Scripture says that whoever oppresses the poor taunts their creator ".
"I think Republicans have long suggested that, if you do not support Republican politics, you are less Christian and I do not think this is a useful approach for Mayor Pete or any Democrat or any politician to adopt , Said Wear.
Buttigieg's new director, Reverend Shawna Foster, suggested seeking to engage with the other major Christian community in Iowa, the Protestants, who are generally more liberal than their evangelical counterparts. A recent survey found that Buttigieg's appeal to religious voters could pay dividends among Protestants in the baseline. Despite a steady average of about 5% in the national primary polls and four other candidates, his support for the mainline Protestants exceeded that of Vermont Senators Bernie Sanders and California's Kamala Harris. He tied 15% support from Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren with the support of former Vice President Joe Biden.
"In a way, what I hear is that people say that he claims the faith and values that they have always accepted for themselves, and he claims it for their political or political interests, "said Matt Russell, executive director of Iowa Interfaith Power & Light, an organization mobilizing religious leaders to fight climate change, said at the Washington Examiner.
The campaign refused to comment on the Washington Examiner.
The perceived authenticity of the mayor will likely help determine the success of his faith-awareness efforts.
"For voters in Iowa, the sense of authenticity or sincerity of a candidate is of paramount importance. We have the great privilege of being able to meet candidates with a handshake … It also allows us to determine where the candidate is on the issue, but also his sincerity, authenticity, personality, and that's a factor for Iowans, "said Connie Ryan, executive director of Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, an organization that promotes what it calls a "healthy" separation of church and state. Washington Examiner.
Rev. David Sickelka, senior pastor of the United Church of Christ Urbandale in Urbandale, Iowa, said that Buttigieg seemed sincere.
"In my opinion, I think that Buttigieg's sincerity and faith are truly authentic and truly part of his identity, and I think people will respect that," Sickelka told the newspaper. Washington reviewr.
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