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Atheist, Muslim candidates worry voters
AP on Yahoo ^ | 9/9/07 | AP

Posted on 09/09/2007 11:13:20 AM PDT by NormsRevenge

WASHINGTON - One in four people in the U.S. said in a recent poll that they would be less likely to support a presidential candidate who is Mormon, an ominous sign for Republican contender Mitt Romney.

Yet the survey found two groups, atheists and Muslims, were even less likely to win votes.

Sixty-one percent of those questioned said they would be less likely to support a presidential candidate who did not believe in God. Forty-five percent said the same for a Muslim contender.

Only 5 percent or fewer said they would be likelier to support candidates who were atheists, Muslims or Mormons, according to the poll by two nonpartisan research groups, the Pew Research Center and the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

In a measurement that might affect Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., 12 percent of those surveyed said they would be less likely to support a woman. Fifteen percent said they would be likelier.

Six percent said they would be less likely to support a black candidate and 9 percent said they would be likelier, which may affect the run by Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

In other findings:

_16 percent said they would be less likely to support an evangelical Christian candidate, though 19 percent said they would be likelier to support one;

_11 percent said they would be less likely to support a Jewish contender, while 9 percent said they would be likelier;

_7 percent would be less likely to support a Catholic and 13 percent would be likelier;

_15 percent would be less likely to support a Hispanic and 9 percent likelier.

Republicans were likelier than Democrats to express concerns about voting for an atheist, Muslim or a woman, while more Democrats than Republicans said they would be less likely to support an evangelical Christian. The party breakdown for the other traits was about even.

The poll was conducted Aug. 1-18 and involved telephone interviews with 3,002 randomly chosen adults. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 2 percentage points.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: atheist; atheists; candidates; magicunderwear; muslim; muslims; salamanderletter; salamnderletter; voters; worry
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1 posted on 09/09/2007 11:13:22 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

“”Only 5 percent or fewer said they would be likelier to support candidates who were atheists, Muslims or Mormons,””


Here at FR Mitt Romney actually draws closer to 6% support.


2 posted on 09/09/2007 11:18:00 AM PDT by ansel12 (Romney longed to serve in Vietnam, ask me for the quote.)
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To: NormsRevenge

If Mitt wants to make his belief in the fiction of Mormonism central to his election then he will have some problems. Just wait until the general election when he starts getting asked about the baptism of the dead and demon protection undergarments. I’d still vote for him over any liberal because the fictions they believe in and the annoyances they would heap upon me and my family make the fictions of Mormonism look harmless by comparison. I would prefer not to be forced to choose between them but one has to make imperfect choices every day.


3 posted on 09/09/2007 11:20:35 AM PDT by Maelstorm
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To: NormsRevenge
How did ‘hispanic’ get thrown in with the religious belief questions?
4 posted on 09/09/2007 11:23:49 AM PDT by kinoxi
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To: NormsRevenge

Atheists have a nasty track record when it comes to governing, and Muslims want their own government.

Mormons, I don’t see the problem unless Harry Reid has really done that sorry of a job representin’.


5 posted on 09/09/2007 11:23:54 AM PDT by Baladas
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To: kinoxi

It’s a poll from sPEW. what can I say? ;-)


6 posted on 09/09/2007 11:26:12 AM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE’s toll-free tip hotline—1-866-DHS-2-ICE)
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To: ansel12

My nonsupport for Romney has 0% to do with religion. I would support a pro-gun, pro-defense, pro-life, anti-tax Mormon in a second.


7 posted on 09/09/2007 11:27:50 AM PDT by Larry Lucido (Hunter 2008)
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To: NormsRevenge

I’m 100% less likely to vote for a liberal.


8 posted on 09/09/2007 11:28:26 AM PDT by bfree (liberalism is the enemy of freedom!!!)
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To: kinoxi
How did ‘hispanic’ get thrown in with the religious belief questions?

Libs love to be judgmental and love to categorize people. There aren't enough major religions to make a study, so they threw in whatever their dust-speck sized brains could think of.

9 posted on 09/09/2007 11:32:45 AM PDT by Clock King (Bring the noise!)
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To: Maelstorm

“...fictions of Mormonism look harmless by comparison.”

Especially when compared to the ROP. Can you imagine a Muslim in the WH and the kind of SC justices he will appoint?


10 posted on 09/09/2007 11:33:22 AM PDT by 353FMG (Government is the opiate of the people.)
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To: Larry Lucido

The quote I posted was about the 5% that are more likely to vote for a Muslim or a Mormon or atheist.


11 posted on 09/09/2007 11:39:21 AM PDT by ansel12 (Romney longed to serve in Vietnam, ask me for the quote.)
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To: NormsRevenge
16 percent said they would be less likely to support an evangelical Christian candidate

Considering all the hard work the media and academia have put into demonizing Evangelicals as the Religious Right, this number is encouragingly low. Especially since roughly 30% of the country consists of moonbats who can be relied on to support bill clinton or Nancy Pelosi or Teddy Kennedy no matter what.

12 posted on 09/09/2007 11:48:11 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: ansel12

True, but I think that 6% would rise significantly if Romney had been a real conservative. His low support on FR is more because of his liberalism, not his Mormonism.

Now, all things being equal, I would be less likely to vote for an atheist, and MUCH less likely to vote for a muslim.


13 posted on 09/09/2007 11:48:11 AM PDT by Larry Lucido (Hunter 2008)
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To: NormsRevenge

What about us agnostics? I would assume that most voters would find us to be “indecisive.”


14 posted on 09/09/2007 11:50:37 AM PDT by Clemenza (Rudy Giuliani, like Pesto and Seattle, belongs in the scrap heap of '90s Culture)
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To: Clemenza

I usually make up my mind before going to the polls. The one exception was last year, when I thought about it for a minute, then decided to go 3rd party instead of voting for a rino governor who won anyway.


15 posted on 09/09/2007 11:52:27 AM PDT by darkangel82 (Socialism is NOT an American value.)
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To: NormsRevenge

This explains Rep. Keith Ellison’s win in Minnesota-not.


16 posted on 09/09/2007 11:54:23 AM PDT by johnthebaptistmoore
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To: Larry Lucido

“”Only 5 percent or fewer said they would be >>LIKELIER<< to support candidates who were atheists, Muslims or Mormons, “”


5% would be MORE LIKELY

I was posting about people that want to support someone because they are Muslim or Mormon or atheist, not against them.


17 posted on 09/09/2007 11:57:34 AM PDT by ansel12 (Romney longed to serve in Vietnam, ask me for the quote.)
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To: johnthebaptistmoore

Keith Ellison’s victory was from idiot liberals and robot black voters in Minneapolis. Ellison completely hid his past record of radical left-wing causes and also his education in militant Islam from the voters. Not that it would have made some of the loonies in Mpls change their votes anyway!


18 posted on 09/09/2007 12:02:07 PM PDT by Gumdrop
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To: Gumdrop

Keith Ellison still deserves some opponents for both the primary and general election each and every time that his term is up, but Keith will probably be there either for as long as he wants to be there or until he unexpectedly dies in office.


19 posted on 09/09/2007 12:17:02 PM PDT by johnthebaptistmoore
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To: NormsRevenge

Summarizing the article, Of 3,002 randomly chosen adults, in order from most to least unpopular...

61% less likely to vote for an atheist
45% less likely to vote for a Muslim
25% less likely to vote for a Mormon
16% less likely to vote for an evangelical Christian
15% less likely to vote for an Hispanic
12% less likely to vote for a woman
11% less likely to vote for a Jew
7% less likely to vote for a Catholic
6% less likely to vote for for a black

I guess an atheist Hispanic female doesn’t stand a chance in hell.


20 posted on 09/09/2007 12:32:40 PM PDT by lonevoice (It's always "Apologize to a Muslim Hour"...somewhere)
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