Hillary Clinton Has A Big Opportunity To Win Over Religious Voters Tonight
For the first time in modern political history, the Republican nominee — Donald Trump — is actively struggling to win some religious voters, leaving an opening for faith-friendly Democrats like Clinton.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the Greater St. Paul Church in Oakland, California.
BY JACK JENKINS
JUL 28, 2016 3:59 PM
When Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton takes the stage on Thursday to deliver the closing speech of her party’s national convention, expectations will be sky high. Clinton is already following President Barack Obama’s stirring Wednesday evening address to delegates that wowed progressives and conservatives alike, and her speechwriters are striving to reach an even broader general election audience as they prepare what is being called the “most important speech of her life.”
But if the former Secretary of State is serious about winning over more than Democrats tonight, she would do well to dwell on one topic in particular: her faith.
To be sure, Clinton is hardly new to the religion outreach game. She has already harped on her Methodist faith more than once during her latest run for the White House, speaking at length about her personal prayer life during debates with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and detailing her own open-minded approach to Christian scripture during town hall events. She also has a habit of citing an old Methodist adage often (falsely) attributed to theologian John Wesley, proclaiming during her Super Tuesday victory speech in March, “Like many of you, I find strength and purpose from my family and my faith…They gave me simple words to live by: Do all the good you can for all the people you can for as long as you can.”
These and other public professions of faith are second-nature to Clinton by now, and are common among her fellow Democrats. Her running mate, Tim Kaine, even credited his Catholic upbringing as the driving force behind his political life during his speech to the convention on Wednesday. But this year, Clinton’s longstanding engagement with religion, if vocalized carefully but honestly, stands to radically reverse traditional political winds: for the first time in modern political history, the Republican nominee — Donald Trump — is actively struggling to win some religious voters, leaving an opening for faith-friendly Democrats like Clinton.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/07/28/3803123/hillary-clinton-faith-convention-speech/
