Free Republic

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has publicly distanced himself from the anti-Mormon rhetoric of a prominent Baptist minister who has endorsed his presidential campaign. But new evidence suggests that Perry’s team may be quietly advancing the notion that Mitt Romney’s faith should disqualify him from the White House. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has publicly distanced himself from the anti-Mormon rhetoric of a prominent Baptist minister who has endorsed his presidential campaign. But new evidence suggests that Perry’s team may be quietly advancing the notion that Mitt Romney’s faith should disqualify him from the White House. Lane responded the next day with...

In the days before the Values Voter Summit in Washington, aides to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney grew concerned about a speaker scheduled to appear shortly after Romney's speech on Saturday morning. Before such events, campaign aides routinely check who will be speaking before and after Romney; it's normal due diligence to know if there are any speakers who might be sources of controversy. [snip] That's when what had begun as an issue of concern over a variety of intolerant remarks turned into a Mormon issue. Seeing Jeffress' words, Bennett decided to include a passage in his speech addressing the...

The pastor who introduced Texas Gov. Rick Perry at a conservative gathering Friday said rival presidential candidate Mitt Romney is not a Christian and is in a cult because he is a Mormon. Robert Jeffress, the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Dallas, made similar remarks about Romney when he ran in the 2008 campaign. Event organizers at the Values Voters Summit selected Jeffress to introduce Perry, but the Perry campaign was consulted about the choice and approved Jeffress to introduce the Texas governor. Jeffress endorsed Perry at the event and introduced him as "a proven leader, a true...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced Thursday that he will once again seek the Republican presidential nomination, but four years after his first bid, analysts say he will once again face the same unique hurdle: his Mormon religion. SNIP Mr. Romney steered clear of his religion when he kicked off his campaign in New Hampshire, but that could change this weekend when he and Mr. Huntsman travel to Washington, where they are scheduled to speak at the Faith and Freedom Coalition (FFC) conference — an event that could provide an early snapshot of where they stand with religious conservatives. Ben...