Here’s what Hillary Clinton’s faith outreach director just said about Clinton’s victory tonight in Virginia via email:
There continues to be no emerging trend lines other than the one established at the beginning of the Democratic Primary: American faith and values voters connect with and support Senator Clinton. Tonight in West Virginia there is no difference.
But is it true?
Sure, Clinton’s enjoyed a huge advantage among white religious voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. But Clinton’s West Virginia landslide owed little to the God gap. Clinton won weekly and more-than-weekly churchgoers by 60-percent and 66-percent, respectively. Impressive. But she won similar proportions of infrequent churchgoers and those who sleep in on Sundays–who typically comprise Obama’s base–claiming 70-percent and 63-percent of those voters, respectively.
No God gap there.
And Catholics, among whom Obama has been trounced by Clinton in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, broke for Clinton by a much smaller margin in West Virginia, by 52-percent to 45-percent.
Sure, Hillary shellacked Obama in West Virginia today. But religion may have played a smaller role than expected.
9
posted May 13, 2008 at 10:48 pm
What was missing were the racists voting in this primary. WV has a very small population of African-Americans.
posted May 14, 2008 at 7:55 am
Yeah, the large population of African Americans that simply vote for Obama based on fact he is black and nothing else. Yep, that was missing.
posted May 14, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Golly G.
How do you explain Obama’s showing in Iowa? Very small population of African Americans, and Obama won decisively.
posted May 19, 2008 at 12:37 pm
It seems to me that the Bible Belt is split. The Democrats are running a close race across the line. The Republicans are still hoping for a voice(Mcclain is still very tight lipped).
When push comes to shove, the question is: Who do they end up voting for in November?