DES MOINES, Iowa — For conservative Christian voters, the 2016 presidential race has almost too many options to take in.
That
array of choices — a "wonderful dilemma" in the estimation of Iowa
voter Bill Campbell — was on display Saturday night as Republican
hopefuls wooed evangelicals with remarks that emphasized religious
freedom and opposition to gay marriage.
Nine
declared and prospective 2016 candidates appeared in a church for a
forum sponsored by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, drawing
together more than 1,000 people in a state where social conservatives
hold significant sway in the state's leadoff presidential caucuses.
The
forum gave candidates an opportunity to show off their conservative
bona fides, with speeches on religious freedom and social issues that
repeatedly brought the crowd to its feet.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz noted that the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in four states' same-sex marriage cases on Tuesday and said that between now and then, conservatives must "fall to our knees and pray."
"We need leaders who will stand unapologetically in defense of marriage and life," Cruz said in remarks that drew huge applause.
On
abortion, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul encouraged conservatives to be more
aggressive in their opposition, saying: "I'm tired of us retreating on
this issue and I'm going to push back." He also argued that most
Americans were uncomfortable with late-term procedures.
Abortion
has been a tricky issue for the senator. He has supported restrictions
on the procedure in legislation yet said the issue is too divisive to
expect changes in federal abortion law, a stance that raised earlier
concerns among some religious conservatives about his commitment to
their cause.
The
gathering offered a platform for Republican contenders to cater to
social conservatives with a message that did not always address the full
range of their views on social issues. Both Florida Sen. Marco Rubio
and Paul, for example, have stopped short of calling for a federal ban
on same-sex marriage sought by some religious conservatives. The
senators have said that question should be left to the states.
Many
candidates spoke about their personal faith beliefs. Louisiana Gov.
Bobby Jindal spoke about his conversion to Christianity and said he
would seek to protect religious freedom.
"The
United States of America did not create religious liberty," Jindal
said. "Religious liberty created the United States of America."
Also
on the program were former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Wisconsin Gov. Scott
Walker, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Pennsylvania Sen.
Rick Santorum and businesswoman Carly Fiorina. Most candidates focused
on religious and social issues, but several took shots at Democratic
front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Fiorina,
the only woman among the 2016 Republican contenders, said Republicans
need to choose someone who can throw "punches all day long" at the
potential Democratic presidential nominee.
Gary
Chidester, 65, of Lakesburg, said he had talked to most candidates even
before the event, but remained undecided. He was most interested in
hearing support for traditional marriage and opposition to abortion
rights, adding: "As a Christian, when I'm holding my Bible and the words
change in it, I'll change."
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