Democrats: public policies rooted in faith

"One of the first things Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine did after entering the race for Virginia governor last spring was to go on evangelical Christian radio to talk about faith in politics. And one of his early advertisements spotlighted his work as a Christian missionary in Honduras during a break from law school two decades ago."

"'All Tim's talk about his faith said to people, "He's not a typical liberal,"' said David Eichenbaum, a media consultant to Mr. Kaine."

"A year after polls showed that so-called values voters had been crucial to President Bush's re-election, Mr. Kaine's advisers and some top Democratic strategists say their victory in Virginia shows that Democrats, including liberals, can win in culturally conservative states if they talk about deeply held religious beliefs."

"Representative Ted Strickland, who is running in next year's Democratic primary for governor of Ohio, said the party had hurt itself by not trying to identify more closely with religious voters. He has already begun talking in his campaign about religion's role in his life and politics.

"'I do think the Democratic Party has for far too long been hesitant to talk about the things we deeply believe and value,' said Mr. Strickland, a former Methodist minister. 'Many public policy positions have their foundation in religious beliefs that we hold dear.'" ...