South Carolina???s Religious Views May Influence Presidential Primary (ContributorNetwork)

South Carolina is an entirely different state than New Hampshire. Mitt Romney has won the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary. Now all six remaining GOP candidates shift their focus to the Palmetto State. Reuters reports a group of 150 conservative and religious leaders chose to back Rick Santorum for president. The move comes despite the fact Romney has a sizable 21-point lead in a new Reuters poll.

Here's a look at why religion may be more of a factor in the South Carolina primary this year with just a week to go before voters head to the polls.

Statistics

A Gallup poll in 2009 found 80 percent of South Carolina residents find that religion is an important part of their daily lives. Only Alabama and Mississippi scored higher. The national average was 65 percent in adults 18 years or older. The survey included over 355,000 participants.

Another Gallup poll published more recently states that 43 percent of voters in South Carolina attend church weekly. Only 10 percent of the residents of the state claim they have no religious affiliation. A whopping 74 percent of South Carolina residents identify themselves as Protestant or non-Catholic. Only 10 percent of South Carolina residents identify themselves as Catholic. All of those numbers are above national averages as evidenced by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Nationally, only 51.3 percent of Americans identify themselves as Protestant.

Religions of the Candidates

Two of the GOP candidates are Mormons. Romney, the presumed front-runner, is a Mormon from Massachusetts. Jon Huntsman is a former governor of Utah and is also a Mormon. Santorum and Newt Gingrich are Catholic even though Gingrich used to be a Baptist. Rep. Ron Paul is a Baptist from Texas. Gov. Rick Perry, also from Texas, is a Methodist.

Going by the polling statistics, Paul would have the advantage as someone who has a lot of clout with religious conservatives. Santorum has been known for his socially conservative stances and may also pick up some extra votes. ABC News has a nice summary of all of the candidates, including religious affiliations.

There is still a week left until the South Carolina primary. A lot can change as all six candidates canvas the state to pick up votes. Even when polls suggest one candidate is ahead, those can change rapidly as Herman Cain found out over the summer. The Reuters poll stated Romney had the support of 37 percent of respondents while Santorum and Paul tied for second with 16 percent. There is still a week to go and many congregants have one more Sunday to figure out if their religious views will decide the South Carolina primary on Jan. 21.

William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120115/pl_ac/10836551_south_carolinas_religious_views_may_influence_presidential_primary

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