Can Nod From Church Leaders Save Bachmann?

Church leaders embrace Bachmann, say she’ll make it farther than Santorum

By Lynn Campbell
IowaPolitics.com

DES MOINES — In the midst of a presidential campaign focused on jobs and the economy, Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann surrounded herself Tuesday with church leaders and portrayed herself as the candidate who will be their champion in protecting human life.

"We don't want to forget the issue of life. Because you can get a lot of things wrong, but you can't get life wrong," Bachmann said at a news conference at the Embassy Suites. "That's why in this particular election, it's important that we not settle for a candidate who doesn't stand up for life."

The evangelical vote was key to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's win in the 2008 Iowa caucuses, and was likely key to Bachmann's win in the Aug. 13 Ames Straw Poll, as well. In early August, she announced the endorsement of more than 100 Iowa pastors and faith leaders.

When asked by a reporter why she was emphasizing social issues given the electorate's focus elsewhere, Bachmann responded, "because the issue of life is one that can't be forgotten. It's a very important issue."

"Amen!" responded the 18 pastors and other faith leaders behind her, who applauded her advocacy.

The Rev. Mike Demastus of the Fort Des Moines Church of Christ said as a "values voter," he appreciates Bachmann's emphasis on their issues. He said the nation is in an economic mess because it has lost its moral way.

"It's not issue No. 7, issue No. 8. To the social conservative, it's issue No. 1. The issue of life and marriage is very important to us," Demastus said. "The reason that this state is still in play is because the moral issues are very important in this state right now."

Demastus was a Huckabee supporter in 2008. He said former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum also is appealing because "their world views are very close to mine." But he said he believes Bachmann's campaign can make it longer than Santorum 's.

For social conservatives, front-runners like former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry don't have much appeal. Neither does New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who reiterated Tuesday that he will not run for president.

"I don't think a lot about Christie at all," Demastus said. "Romney, I don't know that I could ever throw a vote for him, to be honest. Perry, I could hold my nose maybe vote for a guy like him. I'm a person that's a true social conservative so that's why I'm gravitating towards somebody like Bachmann or somebody like Santorum."

Bachmann described herself as "100 percent pro-life from conception 'til natural death." She and her husband own a Christian counseling clinic. On Tuesday, she toured the Informed Choices Medical Clinic in West Des Moines, which opened in June and is aimed at discouraging women from having an abortion.

The church leaders on Tuesday embraced Bachmann, both literally and figuratively. She received hugs and kisses from some of them after the event.

Democrats have not spent much time directly attacking Bachmann, but have largely painted her with a broad brush. They've said that she joins Romney, Perry and the rest of the GOP field in appealing "to the most extreme and narrow elements of the Tea Party."

Bachmann's latest two-day campaign swing to Iowa comes as the presidential nominating calendar is in flux, following Florida moving its primary to Jan. 31. Iowa will soon move its first-in-the-nation caucuses from Feb. 6 to sometime earlier, perhaps right after New Year's Day.

"I've spent many Christmases in Iowa, growing up here in Iowa, so it won't bother me a bit at all if I have to spend Christmas in Iowa. I'll stay with my relatives," said Bachmann, a Waterloo native. "We probably have a distinct advantage because we've worked extremely hard in Iowa. We've probably been here 75 to 80 days."

Bachmann's visit also came amid news reports that her campaign is losing pollster Ed Goeas and Andy Parrish, who in June moved from Bachmann's congressional office to Iowa to help run her campaign. Bachmann denied that the departures signaled any problems.

"They aren't leaving, number one," she said. "We came into the campaign very late, at the end of June, and we had a lot of foundation blocks to build the campaign. They helped us do that. Those people have gone back to my congressional office because now the recess is over they were kind enough to be willing to take a leave of absence."

While Bachmann's standing has slipped in national polls, a recent poll of 600 likely Iowa Republican caucus goers showed her in second place. The poll showed her support at 15 percent, trailing Romney at 21 percent, but ahead of Perry at 14 percent. The poll by the American Research Group was taken Sept. 22-27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

"I think Iowa is very reflective of where the country is at," Bachmann said. "We won at the straw poll and we intend to win in the caucus."

Demastus said the poll numbers don't scare him at all. He said at this time in the 2008 presidential cycle, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was No. 1 in the polls, and former Tennessee U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson was No. 2.

"So there's a lot of play room right now," he said. "There's a lot of time left."

See a video of Michele Bachmann in Des Moines today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5yYqltX02c

See a slide show of photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iowapolitics/sets/72157627817462232/show/

Listen to the press conference:
http://www.iowapolitics.com/1009/111004Bachmann.mp3