"Church attendance, not income, has become the primary driver of party allegiance and voting behavior, and that trend has accelerated since the election of George W. Bush in 2000." -- Former state GOP Chairman Chris Vance on CrosscutOne of the continuing narratives of the 2008 presidential race on the Republican side has been the ongoing quest by religious conservatives to find somebody they can support.
A new national Gallup poll suggests they are still looking, although former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani continues to narrowly receive their support. Pollster.com broke down the Gallup results:
*Among 1,204 Republicans and those who lean Republican, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani leads former Sen. Fred Thompson (29% to 19%) in a national primary. Among the 480 who attend church every week, Giuliani edges out Thompson 24% to 20%. Among the 420 who seldom or never attend church, Giuliani leads 33% to 18%.
*In general election match-ups, Giuliani leads Clinton by more than ten points among Americans who attend church weekly and among those who attend nearly weekly or monthly. Among Americans who seldom or never attend church, Clinton leads Giuliani by more than ten points (54% to 43%).
As Vance and others have pointed out, religion isn't as big a deal to most Democratic primary voters. The reason the Republican race has been in flux is because the party's recent traditional "base" isn't comfortable yet with Giuliani, former mayor of the biggest, and one of the most liberal city's in the country. When Giuliani presided over Gotham he had to tack left, which leaves him some explaining to do to with certain Republican primary voters.
More:
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/seattlepolitics/archives/118861.asp
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