Candidate's Personal Faith
October 2, 2012 - NPR addresses the lack of both Obama and Romney not wearing their faith on their sleeves, unlike the 2008 election. According to the article, Obama talks more about how faith shaped his values (including the Golden Rule) and Romney does not want to “remind people in his conservative base that he is a Mormon and he is not an evangelical Christian.”
August 21, 2012 - Obama and Romney were interviewed by Cathedral Age on personal faith and religion in the public sphere. Their answers differed most greatly on the separation between church and state.
Romney suggested that the role of faith in public life is perhaps under threat and relies on the judiciary to keep it in place. Obama appeared keener than his rival to endorse the status quo.
August 19, 2012 - Romney invited members of the media to join him at a Mormon service in New Hampshire.
August 19, 2012 - Obama and his family attended service one block away from the White House at St. John's Episcopal Church.
August 14, 2012 - By selecting Paul Ryan as his running mate, Romney has put together a ticket with no Protestant Christian, a first for Republicans or Democrats in modern political history.
July 21, 2012 - In a speech to a wounded nation, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney returned to his roots of faith in the face of a national tragedy - the Colorado shootings. It was a rare public expression of faith for the candidate who has kept much of his faith private. "We can offer comfort to someone near us who is suffering or heavy laden," he said, a reference to the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus tells a crowd, "Come to me all ye who are heavy laden and I will give you rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
June 4, 2012 – The Los Angeles Times reports that neither Obama nor Romney is talking much about religion any longer. Potential reasons include a focus on the economy, the private nature of both candidates, and their reluctance to talk about an issue that voters could perceive negatively.
May 17, 2012 – A Republican super PAC plan, which is awaiting approval, calls for running commercials linking Mr. Obama to incendiary comments by his former spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.
May 9, 2012 – Obama quotes his Christian religion and The Golden Rule as the motivating factors behind his support for same-sex marriage.
March 15, 2012 - Gingrich cited the Book of Proverbs as a reason for staying in the primary: "I've stayed in the race because I think that Proverbs is right ... 'without vision, people perish.'"
March 12, 2012 – A poll by Public Policy Polling asks Republicans in Alabama about Obama’s faith. Forty-six percent believe he is Muslim, 41% aren’t sure, and 14% believe he is Christian.
January 26, 2012 – During a Republican presidential debate, several candidates discussed personal faith in the context of their roles as leaders.
- Gingrich said he was driven in part by a "war against religion," especially Christianity, in the media. He also claimed that Presidents, "should go to God; they should seek guidance."
- Romney said he "would also seek the guidance of Providence in making decisions."
- Santorum called the U.S. the only nation with founding documents that include "God-given rights," adding that "faith has everything to do" with making presidential decisions.
- Paul said religious beliefs "affect my character and the way I treat people and how I live."
December 29, 2011 – With Paul’s improved poll results, attention is paid to political newsletters (from the 1990s) that bore Paul’s name and included racist, anti-gay, and anti-Israel messages. Paul denied knowledge of the newsletters’ contents. He stated, "These were sentences that were put in – I think it was a total of about eight or ten sentences, and it was bad stuff." But, he added, "It wasn't a reflection of my views at all. I think it was terrible, it was tragic."
December 5, 2011 – A pro-Romney ad doesn't mention Gingrich but makes the contrast by painting Romney as a strong family, church and business leader. The implied comparison is with his chief rival at the time -- three times married, a Catholic convert and the former U.S. House Speaker.
October 18, 2011 – In a Republican debate, Newt Gingrich stated: “And I, frankly, would be really worried if somebody assured me that nothing in their faith would affect their judgments, because then I'd wonder, where's your judgment—how can you have judgment if you have no faith?”