Iowa politicians offer a wide array of opinions on the role of faith in politics, with some saying they can’t be separated and others saying there must be a clear delineation between the two.
Faith plays an important role in politics across the nation, but maybe more so in Iowa. A recent poll from NBC News/Marist shows 91 percent of potential Republican caucusgoers in the state identify as either protestant or Catholic. Of those, 40 percent consider themselves fundamentalist or evangelical Christians.
That same poll also shows potential Republican caucusgoers place more importance on whether a candidate shares their values than their stances on issues, experience or electability. Thirty-one percent identified shared values as the most important quality of a presidential candidate, compared to 29 percent for stances on issues, 19 percent for governing experience and 18 percent for ability to defeat President Obama in 2012.
“I think from the founding of this country faith played a very important role,” said Bob Vander Plaats, a three-time Republican gubernatorial candidate and current head of a religious conservative advocacy group, The Family Leader.
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Complete article at Iowa Independent : http://bit.ly/oomCfW
