2 of 2

The exciting thing about John McCain is that he hits on all cylinders. There's not any one of the things that evangelicals would be looking for — creation care, all of them — that John McCain has NOT had in his agenda for years.

When you talk to evangelicals about voting for John McCain, what's your pitch?

The first thing I talk about is judges. We need judges who believe in the original intent of the Constitution and show great jurisprudence, who do not legislate from the bench and are constructionists. We are one judge away from the reversal of Roe v. Wade. There are many other points: that John McCain has had a 24-, 25-year pro-life message. He stands for marriage between one man and one woman. He has a great compassion for individuals as a whole, not only in this country, but also abroad. He and his wife are extremely philanthropic. Cindy is involved with HALO and Operation Smile. I just think that as a team, Sen. McCain and his wife, Cindy, reach the heart of what an evangelical Christian is.

When you try to persuade evangelicals to vote for McCain, what objections do they normally raise?

What I try to always do when I'm talking to pro-life individuals is to talk about the positives of John McCain. I am not someone who goes into the negative. I like to stay in the positive.

This is a man who has fought to keep the government's budget functioning like a family budget, not spending money that we don't have. He believes in the limited sides and scope of government; he's pro-life and pro-family. That's where I try to keep the conversation. No individual is perfect; you're never going to find a person whom we agree with 100 percent of the time.

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

See our earlier related article, "McCain Surges in Polls, But Many Evangelicals Wary."

More on the 2008 election is available in our full coverage area and on our politics blog.

first page |  2 of 2

share this page

August (Web-Only) 2008, Vol. 52