| Abstract | The purpose of this study is to determine how campaign strategies used by Christian Right candidates differ from non-Christian Right candidates in competitive elections, and to analyze how these strategies have changed over time. While the "corrupt," secular world of politics used to be a place few Christian churches sought involvement in, recent decades have seen a substantial increase in the efforts taken by religious groups to impact public policies in their favor. Even though religious activists are most often grouped in the broader category of interest groups, recent scholarship has suggested that the contradictory goals that religious activists must try and balance make them distinct from other activists. Because religious activists have the responsibility to impact politics while at the same time remaining faithful to their religious tradition, their involvement in politics manifests itself differently from their secular counterparts. This study explores the Christian Right movement both qualitatively and chronologically, allowing me to better understand the impact of a Christian Right orientation on a political candidate, while also considering the impact of the political maturation of the movement itself. |
