Ted Cruz’s evangelical problem

[mystery-ak]

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/ted-cruz-christian-evangelical-vote-221349

 Ted Cruz’s evangelical problem

The Texan surged to second place as the candidate of Christian conservatives. His challenge now is how few are left to vote.

By Shane Goldmacher

04/01/16 02:00 PM EDT

The day Ted Cruz announced he was running for president, in March 2015, he began his speech to thousands of cheering Christian evangelical students, "God bless Liberty University.”

One year later to the day, Cruz stood in midtown Manhattan under crystal chandeliers and addressed a suit-clad crowd much the same way, "God bless the great state of New York.”

Cruz’s unapologetic brand of Christian conservatism hasn’t changed much in the past 12 months, but the political terrain of the 2016 campaign has. After meticulously building an evangelical base that delivered Cruz an opening victory in Iowa and helped him amass the second-most delegates to Donald Trump through March, the Texas senator now faces a gantlet of some of the least religious states in the country. As few as four of the remaining states are projected to have a majority-evangelical GOP electorate.

Much has been made over the past few days of Trump's challenges in securing enough delegates to win the nomination. But unless Cruz can quickly make inroads with non-evangelical voters who so far have mostly rejected him, he has little chance of stopping Trump. So far, the candidate who disparaged his rival's "New York values" has shown no sign of tweaking his message to appeal to a less religious coastal electorate, gambling instead that antipathy toward Trump will be enough to draw those voters into his camp.

“You can safely say that his best days are behind him when it comes to the solid evangelical states,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll. “He’s going to have to appeal to people who are not necessarily terribly religious at this point.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/ted-cruz-christian-evangelical-vote-221349#ixzz44gzXLbDu

[Sanguine]

Another "those weird, wacky, scary Christian evangelicals" story.

[ABX]

The problem is evangelicals aren't a singular movement. Just look at all the denomination and tradition splits within the church. You have everything from your TBN/Benny Hinn types, to Rick Warren types, to Billy Graham/James Dobson types, to uber traditionalists.

Many different views can be gotten if one looks at just one segment. Even within those, there is disagreement and splits on a lot of things, not just theological.

It used to be more of a singular voting block, but with new media, the subdivisions are more apparent and capitalized on.

[Chosen Daughter]

Cruz doesn't have an evangelical problem, but the author of the story is a religious bigot.

 

And the question.  Are there enough religious bigots in America to stop Cruz?

[Frank Cannon]

But unless Cruz can quickly make inroads with non-evangelical voters who so far have mostly rejected him

I'm not sure which Presidential race this Leftist hack is watching, but Cruz isn't getting a majority of support from evangelicals if exit polling is correct.

[NavyCanDo]

Frankly I can't understand how Trump can get backing from any evangelicals if they place their Christian values as an important virtue when deciding on a candidate. But, sadly many are driven to him because of their faith, thinking Trump is in God's plan. I have first hand knoledge of this, with my oldest sister and her church which is just one notch more normal than the snake dancers. Seriously.  She on FB has posted articals from suposed new age prophets that are claiming Trump was sent by God, as he did with Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus's own apostles. I love my sis, but she and her husband, and it appears her church have  fallen for some real nutty stuff.

[mountaineer]

The problem is evangelicals aren't a singular movement.

That's what I have tried to convey just about every time another broad generalization about Christians is posted here. My own congregation probably exhibits a half dozen general political viewpoints,  at least.