Beck Acts as a Bridge Between Romney and Evangelical Christians
On radio and on his Internet network, the influential conservative pundit Glenn Beck
frequently invokes God, religious freedom and the founding fathers, but
he does not regularly discuss his own Mormon faith.
Andrew D. Brosig/The Daily Sentinel, via Associated Press
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But in early September, he broke with practice and hosted a special one-hour show, asking his audience, “Does Mitt Romney’s Mormonism make him too scary or weird to be elected to president of the United States?”
Mr. Beck has not always supported Mr. Romney. (“I think he’s an
honorable man, but I don’t trust him,” he said last year.) But as
perhaps the best-known Mormon after the Republican presidential
candidate and a major influence on evangelical Christians, Mr. Beck has
emerged as an unlikely theological bridge between the first Mormon
presidential nominee and a critical electorate.
At the same time, Mr. Beck’s defense of his and Mr. Romney’s shared
faith speaks to the long-frayed relationship between evangelical
Christians and Mormons and raises the question of whether evangelicals
will ultimately put aside religious differences and vote on common
conservative issues.
During his special program, Mr. Beck took questions from mostly
evangelical Christian listeners, colorfully debunking misperceptions
about Mormonism. The “magic underwear” was compared to a skullcap, and
Mr. Beck insisted that polygamy was seen as a “perversion” in the modern church.
“It’s not weird to be a Mormon,” he assured his listeners at the end of
the program, “and it’s not weird to be president if you’re Mormon.”
Although Mr. Beck’s national media profile has waned since he left Fox
News last year, his support among his core audience remains strong. “The
Glenn Beck Program” is typically the third-most-popular talk-news radio
show, after “The Rush Limbaugh Show” and “The Sean Hannity Show.” In
September, an agreement was reached with Dish Network to bring Mr.
Beck’s online network, The Blaze, to traditional television.
Mr. Beck’s unique position as both a Mormon and a prominent voice among
evangelicals has been too tempting for Mr. Romney’s campaign to pass up.
Campaign officials have quietly courted Mr. Beck, according to a person
briefed on his meetings with campaign surrogates who could not discuss
private conversations publicly. Mr. Beck declined to comment for this
article.
Last month, Mr. Beck, along with former Vice President Dick Cheney and
Mr. Romney’s son Josh, headlined a Dallas fund-raiser that brought in
more than $250,000 for the Romney Victory committee, and on Friday Mr.
Beck held a rally in Columbus, Ohio, intended to influence voters in
that swing state. On Saturday, he attended Mr. Romney’s rally in
Dubuque, Iowa.
Stalwart conservatives who support the Romney-Ryan ticket, like
Representative Louie Gohmert, Republican of Texas; Rick Santorum, a
former senator and Republican presidential candidate; and retired Lt.
Gen. William Boykin, have appeared on Mr. Beck’s program not so much to
tout Mr. Romney directly as to discuss hot-button political issues like
the handling of the attack on the United States mission in Benghazi,
Libya.
Mostly Mr. Beck has helped Mr. Romney by directly addressing his devout
Mormon faith, something the candidate himself rarely does. “I believe
Mr. Romney prays on his knees every day,” Mr. Beck said recently on his
radio program. “I believe he is being guided.” He has also said that a
Romney victory would be “a sign from God.”
Mr. Romney already enjoys a commanding lead among white evangelical
Protestant voters — 76 percent to 17 percent for President Obama,
according to a Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life survey released on Monday,
and 54 percent to Mr. Obama’s 39 percent among Protestant voters.
Influential Christian leaders including the Rev. Billy Graham and Ralph
Reed have endorsed Mr. Romney.
But deep-rooted tensions between Mormons and evangelical Christians
persist, and could affect the turnout on Tuesday, several evangelical
leaders said.
“Romney has staked out issues that are aligned with evangelicals,” said
Bryan Fischer, director of issue analysis for the conservative nonprofit
American Family Association. But, he added, Mr. Romney’s faith may
ultimately present a problem in the voting booth. “It’s still an issue
for some evangelicals and may influence their voting decision on Nov.
6,” he said. “There are a number of evangelicals who will not vote for
someone who doesn’t adhere to orthodox Christiani
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