WASHINGTON, July 12 A new poll conducted by Time magazine reveals that, by a two-to-one margin, Republicans want a U.S. president who will let his faith guide his decisions.
By the same margin, Democrats are against this notion, stating they believe a U.S. president's faith in a higher power should not be a factor in how he governs.
Forty-three percent of voters questioned said Bush's use of religion has divided his country. This finding marks a dramatic increase from the 27 percent who said the same thing in 2004.
The survey also shows that, among registered Republican voters, Barack Obama is perceived as having stronger faith than John McCain and Newt Gingrich, while Mitt Romney is seen as having the strongest faith by nearly twice the margins of any other Republican candidate.
Rudolph Giuliani and Hillary Clinton ranked the lowest in the religious faith rating, according to the poll.
In this week's issue, Time writers Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy discuss how Democrats have been trying to win over religious voters since George W. Bush won a second term in 2004.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
