Rove's Outreach To Religious Conservatives Seen As Key To Bush Win
Bush aide Karl Rove continued to win plaudits for his dual role as campaign strategist and policy adviser. The New York Times reports that if President Bush's "triumph this week had a Big Daddy it was indisputably" Rove – "the seer, strategist and serious student of politics and the presidency that a grateful Mr. Bush himself referred to as the architect of his winning campaign." Rove "has not only cemented his reputation as one of the canniest campaign gurus in a generation but has also put himself in position to shape second-term policies that could help realize his longtime goal of consolidating a broad Republican electoral majority for a generation to come." Rove "has made himself the face of the White House's outreach to the evangelical Protestants and other 'people of faith' who may well have helped propel Mr. Bush to victory on Tuesday. Conservative leaders said he was unfailingly attentive to their concerns and complaints, even in the hectic final days and weeks of a campaign in which he counted on turning out the president's core supporters in big numbers."
Bush Coalition Includes Religious Conservatives Of Several Faiths.
Although much has been made of President Bush's support among Christian evangelicals and, to a lesser degree, Catholic voters, the New York Times notes Bush "has been deliberately assembling the building blocks of a formidable faith coalition. Pastor by pastor, rabbi by rabbi, and often face to face, Mr. Bush has built relationships with a diverse range of religious leaders." The "payoff came on Tuesday. For all the credit claimed by evangelical Christians, Mr. Bush owes his victory to a formula that includes conservative Catholics, mainline Protestants, Hispanics, Jews and Mormons."
Pollster Luntz Says Jewish Voters Helped Bush Win Ohio, Florida.
President Bush saw his Jewish vote jump 6 percent Tuesday, enough of an increase to help him win Ohio and Florida, according to exit polling conducted by the Luntz Research Companies. Frank Luntz said that the Jewish vote for Bush went from 19 percent in 2000 to 25 percent this year. Luntz tells US News Bulletin, "While still among the more reliable voting blocs for Democratic candidates, Bush clearly increased his share of Jewish support in the two states where it mattered most." Luntz said Jewish voters were driven to Bush because of his war on terrorism more than his strong support for Israel.
