Conservative Leaders Urge McCain To Discuss Stem Cell Research, Abortion To Appeal To Conservative Voters

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Also Included In: Abortion
Article Date: 01 Jul 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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Conservative leaders on Thursday met with Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in Cincinnati to urge him to talk more about social issues to encourage conservatives to vote for him in November's general election, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Topics discussed at the meeting included embryonic stem-cell research, judges and gay marriage, but the main message the participants had for the candidate was about politics (Holmes, Wall Street Journal, 6/27). According to participants at the meeting, McCain indicated that he would "take seriously" their request to pick an antiabortion running mate and talk more openly about his opposition to gay marriage, the Los Angeles Times reports (Wallsten/Drogin, Los Angeles Times, 6/27).

Phil Burress -- head of the Christian group Citizens for Community Values who attended the meeting -- said he does not "see how [McCain] can possibly win Ohio" in the general election if he "doesn't start talking about the social issues" important to conservative Christians.

According to the Journal, McCain's efforts to appeal to voters have focused on moderate and independent voters rather than on conservative Christians because it is unlikely that conservatives would vote for the Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.). However, Jack Willke, an abortion-rights opponent and a founder of National Right to Life, said that it is possible conservative voters in Ohio will not vote at all in the general election if McCain does not begin discussing issues they consider important.

Burress prior to the meeting said he believes he had a duty to make sure McCain knows that he needs to make an effort to appeal to conservative voters. "We cannot move our [conservative] voters, we can't do it" alone, he said, adding that he plans to distribute two million bulletin inserts that promote family values to 10,000 churches throughout the state.

McCain did not make promises that he would incorporate social issues into his campaign speeches. He also did not mention social issues during a town hall meeting earlier on Thursday. McCain spokesperson Tucker Bounds said McCain has a "long-standing record of supporting issues that are important to evangelical voters and social conservatives," adding that McCain has "never shied away from talking about his record, and he will continue to highlight it through November."

According to the Journal, about 25% of Ohio voters self-identify as white evangelicals or born-again Christians, 76% of whom voted for President Bush in 2004. About 17% of state voters identify themselves as white conservative Protestants, 91% of whom voted for Bush in 2004. Obama was leading McCain in Ohio polls earlier this month, and an average of surveys compiled by the nonpartisan Web site RealClearPolitics.com found Obama has a five-point lead in the state, the Journal reports (Holmes, Wall Street Journal, 6/27).

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