Dems make faith push at convention

DENVER-Democratic Party leaders are making an aggressive push for Catholic and evangelical voters, with faith-focused ideas and leaders getting extra attention here at the Democratic National Convention. “They recognize that the Catholic piece is critical to electoral success,” said Dr. Patrick Whelan, a pediatrician at Harvard Medical School and executive director of Catholic Democrats, which […]

DENVER-Democratic Party leaders are making an aggressive push for Catholic and evangelical voters, with faith-focused ideas and leaders getting extra attention here at the Democratic National Convention. “They recognize that the Catholic piece is critical to electoral success,” said Dr. Patrick Whelan, a pediatrician at Harvard Medical School and executive director of Catholic Democrats, which counts 4,000 members in 15 chapters nationwide. In addition to daily benedictions, the convention has hosted two “faith caucus” panel discussions, with the Rev. Jim Wallis, the evangelical leader of Sojourners/Call to Renewal, prominent at both. “The Democrats have turned an important corner,” Wallis said. “For a long time the Democrats have been perceived as being secular and being even hostile to religion.” Wallis and others say that change has come from the top: Sen. Barack Obama and party chairman Howard Dean have both prioritized faith outreach.

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