Page 5 - atoday

U.S. NEWS A5
Monday 19 October 2015

Texas:

6 GOP 2016 hopefuls woo faithful at megachurch

WILL WEISSERT Former Florida Gov. Jeb Pastor Dr. Jack Graham, left, interviews Republican presidential
Associated Press Bush and former Hewlett- candidate Ted Cruz during a North Texas Presidential Forum
PLANO, Texas (AP) — Six Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, hosted by Faith & Freedom Coalition and Prestonwood Baptist
Republican presidential both of whom would like Church, Sunday, Oct.18, 2015, in Plano, Texas. Six Republican
candidates made person- to boost their appeal to presidential candidates converged on the church in suburban
al appeals Sunday to thou- evangelical Republicans. Dallas on Sunday, underscoring how important the evangelical
sands of Christian conser- “Everyone was invited to vote is to many White House hopefuls.
vatives at a megachurch come but we believe the
in suburban Dallas, under- right people are in the (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
scoring the importance of room today,” said pastor
the evangelical vote. Jack Graham, who inter- in Texas and all across this came to think of God as
Conservative tea party viewed all the candidates country.” a CEO of a big enterprise.
and home-state favor- about the importance of Fiorina was more subdued, He was in charge, but he
ite Sen. Ted Cruz, retired faith in their lives. He iden- saying her faith was once couldn’t possibly know ev-
neurosurgeon Ben Car- tified those gathered as “a little abstract” since “I ery little detail.”q
son, former Arkansas Gov. evangelicals whom he
Mike Huckabee and for- called “Christians who be-
mer Pennsylvania Sen. Rick lieve the Bible.” Santorum
Santorum were speaking subsequently declared
during a four-hour forum himself an “evangelical
at the Prestonwood Baptist Catholic.”
Church in Plano which or- Cruz said faith in America
ganizers said was attended “was under assault” and
by at least 7,000 people. pointed to the Supreme
Front-runner Donald Trump Court ruling legalizing gay
didn’t attend. marriage, and to business-
Cruz, Huckabee and San- es that he said had faced
torum already enjoy strong boycotts because they op-
support from churchgoers, posed same-sex weddings
as does Carson, whose un- on religious grounds.
orthodox campaign has “I believe that 2016 is go-
been buoyed for years by ing to be a religious-liberty
religious conservatives. election,” Cruz said to rau-
Prestonwood claims near- cous applause. “As these
ly 40,000 members over threats grow darker and
three Dallas-area campus- darker and darker, they
es. Also appearing were are waking people up here