Dems try to reach religious voters
625827
Tired of being seen by religious voters as too secular or even hostile toward religion, the Democrat party and its presidential candidates have launched an all-out effort to win their votes.
113026
The war in Iraq; jobs and the economy; terrorism. For voters nationwide, those issues seem sure to determine the outcome on Election Day. But in several critical swing states, the conservative push to amend state constitutions and ban gay marriage is giving delegates and party officials a way to lure a group of voters &#151; especially traditional churchgoers &#151; who could tip these states to President Bush.
389231
Democrats hope the power of the pulpit will buttress support among blacks, a key voting bloc that must turn out heavily for presidential candidate John Kerry to win the White House.
101274
Lately it seems all the leading presidential candidates are discussing their religious and moral beliefs &#151; even when they'd rather not. Indeed, seven years after George W. Bush won the presidency in part with a direct appeal to conservative religious voters &#151; even saying during a debate that Jesus Christ was his favorite philosopher &#151; the personal faith of candidates has become a very public part of the presidential campaign.
406913
Religion is taking a back seat to the  Iraq war and domestic issues in the 2008 White House race, but  most Americans still feel faith is an important attribute in  their president, according to a survey released on Thursday.
616570
Voters in last year's presidential  election showed a new polarization within some religious  faiths, a fact that may make it all the harder for Democrats to  recapture the White House, according to a report released on  Thursday.
454686
In South Carolina, a state where religion counts for Democrats, it's not unusual for community leaders to have two titles Â Rev. and Rep.
122908
Thousands of religious conservatives are in Washington today to hear from the leading Republican candidates.
140082
The three leading Democratic contenders for the White House tried to woo the "Religious Left" on Monday, fielding questions about their belief in a televised panel that highlighted the importance of religion to politics in America.
226368
Flag-burning and the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance are about to join gay marriage among the volatile issues that congressional Republicans have pushed to votes ahead of the election to remind the public how the GOP and Democrats differ.
662696
Bested by a Republican campaign emphasizing Christian faith, some Democrats are scrambling to shake off their secular image, stepping up efforts to organize the "religious left."
664382
Republican presidential  hopeful John McCain brought his pitch to a New Hampshire church  basement on Saturday, but religion was hardly on his agenda.
703090
Democrats and Republicans should work together to find new ways to end poverty, curb government corruption and strengthen families, Rev. Jim Wallis said Saturday.
294122
After years of talk about the close ties between religious conservatives and the Republican Party coalition, an opposite factor is gaining wider notice: the Democrats' reliance upon non-religious voters.
556341
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Sunday he does not think voters have a litmus test on religion, whether evangelical Christianity or his childhood years in the Muslim faith.
480202
DOVER, New Hampshire  - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain brought his pitch to a New Hampshire church basement on Saturday, but religion was hardly on his agenda.
304090
(CBS/AP) The Democratic Party&#39;s sharp defeat in the 2004 election has already produced a round of soul searching. The GOP recaptured the White House and strengthened its hold on Congress with powerful support from churchgoers.