Religion Plays Role In 2012 Election As Voters Reelect Barack Obama President

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/obama-wins-with-religious_n_2085906.html



Jaweed Kaleem
Posted: 11/07/2012 2:17 am EST Updated: 11/07/2012 8:21 am EST

Despite strong assaults about everything from what opponents have called a "war on religion" for his healthcare reform policy's provisions on contraception coverage and pastors' protests against his support of same-sex marriage to questions over the his support of Israel and his relationship with Jewish voters, President Barack Obama was reelected to a second term Tuesday night with support from religious and especially nonreligious voters.

Obama carried Electoral College votes in several battleground states where religious voters were key parts of the electorate, including Catholic-heavy Ohio, evangelical-heavy Iowa, and Virignia. Another swing stage with a large population of religious voters, Florida, was too close to call by early Wednesday morning.

In his concession speech from Boston, Republican challenger and former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney congratulated Obama, saying it was a time of "great challenges" in America and that "I pray the president will be successful in guiding our nation." He thanked supporters for their prayers and said Americans will "look to our pastors and priest and rabbis and counselors of all kinds" as the nation moves on from the election. "Ann I join you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation," he said, asking God to "bless America."

Speaking at his victory speech in Chicago, Obama thanked supporters and "every American who participated in this election," saying that voters "reaffirmed the spirit that triumphs." Returning to his motivational, pastor-like tone that was common in his first campaign, Obama referenced the American "belief that our destiny is shared" and said a sense of "love, charity, duty and patriotism" is the hallmark of the nation's culture.

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