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Will evangelicals vote for Romney?


Ryan Lizza considers his history:
Romney has been running for President for six years, and yet his share of the evangelical vote has declined in most states, compared with his showing in 2008. It dropped by ten points in Iowa, eight points in South Carolina, seventeen points in Florida, ten points in Arizona, and five points in Michigan. In New Hampshire, there was modest improvement (one point), and in the low-attendance contest in Nevada, some significant improvement (eight points). Evangelicals are a crucial segment of the G.O.P. Roughly a quarter to a third of the United States population is evangelical, and seventy per cent of these voters identify as Republicans. Other G.O.P. nominees have lost evangelicals to more socially conservative candidates in early primary and caucus states, but this group has always rallied to the presumptive nominee in later stages. A major question for Romney is whether that process begins today or whether he will continue to limp toward the convention without consolidating support among all factions of the party.
Or, for that matter, whether or not he'll become a candidate behind whom voters can throw their support. While you might disagree with Obama's policies profoundly, one cannot deny that even the insipid slogans have had their effect on the public. The president remains inspirational. Mitt Romney is without style, he lacks grace, and his smoothness appears more slimy than clean. Nobody's worshipping this guy, and it would impossible to dismiss this lack of inspirational qualities as a small problem. A candidate is a product.

(Justin Sullivan/Getty, via Esquire)