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Monday, April 24, 2006

How Dems Woo Values Voters

The Fix has a good post about VA Governor Tim Kaine's pollster. Of course, Kaine, a Democrat, was able to win in conservative Virginia...

Kaine's pollster would like to replicate his success in other states. According to the blog, this requires Democrat candidates to follow a two-step approach:

1. Demonstrate from day 1 that you are religious enough (thus taking the issue off the table).
2. Then, make the election about the issues that Democrats traditionally win on (like education, health care, etc.).

Or, as the Fix puts it, the lesson learned is:

"Democrats can win support from religious voters by working early on to show that their candidates are people of faith and then moving on to other issues important to this key voting bloc. In January and February 2005, the Kaine campaign ran radio ads in rural parts of the state focused on his work as a missionary and emphasizing his personal faith. Kaine also spoke at the Family Foundation, a socially conservative advocacy organization based in Richmond."