Not since 1960 has religion become more of an issue in a presidential campaign than now, first with the discussion of Gov. Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith and then with the focus on Gov. Michael Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister, as he emerged as the front-runner and then the winner in the Iowa caucus last week.

But religion is unlikely to be a deciding factor, either in the remaining primary and caucus season or in the subsequent presidential race later this year, according to former Republican gubernatorial candidate Chandler Woodcock.

Woodcock, like Huckabee, is a conservative Republican and a conservative Christian whose faith was raised as an issue during the 2006 campaign. Huckabee is a Southern Baptist preacher, and Woodcock is a lay speaker in the Baptist church. While Huckabee has promoted his image as a Christian candidate, Woodcock did not. Although he never shied away from discussing his faith, Woodcock said, he did not raise faith or religion as an issue in the gubernatorial campaign. Others, including the press, did that, he said.

Still, Woodcock said faith provided a strong background for him as a candidate.

“A good strong faith – and I’m not just talking about my faith – can provide a good foundation to rely on in times of duress,” he said. “A good strong faith can keep you grounded in difficult times that can come our way.”

Given the current atmosphere, some candidates seem to have “come to religion lately,” which, he said, may be part of the process. But in that process, a campaign often will try to pigeonhole a candidate, Woodcock said. The challenge for a conservative candidate – or any candidate – he said is to stick to core values.

“You have a set of values,” he said. “You present those values and let other people draw their conclusions.

“I’ve always been comfortable with the values of Christianity. I think they provide a good basis for going forward.”

That does not mean religion will define candidates’ political positions, he said. That is not part of their political agendas.

“It is not going to impact the political agenda,” he said. “No one is trying to establish a theocracy.”

This year’s campaign reminds Woodcock very much of the 1960 presidential campaign when John F. Kennedy was the Democratic candidate and was to become the first Roman Catholic elected to the presidency. The idea then of a Catholic president was new and different, he said. That’s the way it is with a Mormon or a Baptist running, he said, although he noted that there have been previous Baptist politicians.

“But a Mormon is something different, and it’s going to be talked about,” he said.

That likely will change as the campaign moves on, he said.

While religious beliefs may influence positions on some issues – Woodcock noted abortion as an issue that stands out as an example – he said they will not be a factor in major policy decisions on the national and international level, issues such as the war or the economy, which rank as the most important issues among voters.

While his faith was raised as an issue in the gubernatorial campaign, Woodcock said it did not appear to be a key factor in the outcome of the election, he said. Though he probably gained some support from conservative Christians that he might not have otherwise, Woodcock said he likely lost some support from others because of his conservative Christian faith.

“It is difficult to measure,” he said. “I don’t believe that was the determining factor in the election. The determining factor was that I was running against an incumbent governor. That is very difficult to overcome.”

Likewise, he said, issues of faith or religion will not be a deciding factor in how most people vote in the elections.

“Unless somebody wants to focus solely on that, I don’t think so,” he said.

Asked what advice he would give candidates faced with the religion issue, Woodcock joked that he was not likely to be in a position to give advice to any of the presidential candidates.

However, he did offer this simple counsel: “Don’t change,” he said, “don’t change your approach to your faith.”

rhewitt@bangordailynews.net

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