Iowa political leaders generally agree religion sometimes gets “a bad name” because of how politicians use it.
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.
Sen. Matt McCoy (D-Des Moines) said he’s been disappointed by not only politicians using religious institutions but also religious institutions that allow themselves to be used by politicians.
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Complete article at Iowa Independent : http://bit.ly/nAz4Kw
