Democratic Party names Derrick Harkins to lead faith outreach efforts

By Michelle Boorstein, Updated: Thursday, October 20, 7:19 PM

The Rev. Derrick Harkins, a popular D.C. pastor with a shaved head and a remarkable resume, was named Thursday to lead faith outreach for a Democratic Party seeking to bolster support for President Obama among black and religious voters.

Harkins is the first member of the faith outreach staff that the party has announced for the 2012 election. In 2008, the campaign made strides in attracting religious voters long considered GOP property, particularly white evangelicals. Recent polls show weakened support for Obama among such groups, and some experts on faith outreach say Harkins’s work with progressive and conservative evangelicals in particular could help.

I think they realize the excitement isn’t there from the first campaign, which was like a revival,” said Terry Lynch, executive director of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations and a longtime activist in faith and politics in the District. “They need help with their base, and Harkins is a bellwether.”

Harkins leads Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Northwest, a predominantly African American congregation known for elite as well as solidly middle-class members. Former Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, who chose Harkins to speak at his inaugural prayer service, is a member, as is D.C. Council member Michael A. Brown (I-At Large).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/democratic-party-names-derrick-harkins-to-lead-faith-outreach-efforts/2011/10/20/gIQA82Gd1L_story.html

:shrug: