JACKSON, Miss., Nov. 5, 2007
Evangelical Democrat Stirs Pot In Miss.
Washington Post: Dem Is Waging What Might Be Most Overtly Christian-Inspired Race In A Long Time
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Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Arthur Eaves Jr., addresses a business group, on Nov. 1, 2007, in Jackson, Miss. (AP)
A wealthy evangelical Christian, John Arthur Eaves Jr., is running a campaign for governor that is rife with what Jesus might do.
He talks about banishing "the money changers" from state politics and about a health-care proposal focusing on the "least among us" -- just as Jesus would -- and the cornerstone of his stump speech is familiar to anyone who knows the bit in Matthew 6:24 about "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon."
"The most important question in this campaign," he said at a typical campaign stop here last week, "is 'Who do you serve?'"
He is running against Republican incumbent Haley Barbour, he answers, because he wants "to serve my creator."
The 41-year-old plaintiff attorney is waging what might be the most overtly Christian-inspired statewide race in a long time. But what is most startling to Bible Belt voters here, where faith-based appeals most often come from the religious right, is that Eaves is a Democrat.
It's a fact that unsettles both sides of the partisan divide. For if Eaves threatens the Republicans' success in attracting evangelical votes, his conservative positions on social issues irritate traditional Democrats. He opposes abortion and same-sex marriage. He favors teaching creationism alongside evolution. A major thrust of his campaign is a promise to resurrect school prayer.
"I am a Democrat because I am a Christian," he tells voters.
He then draws a contrast to the way he construes the Bible's message and what he sees as the judgmental aspects of some religious conservatism.
"My Jesus offers love, hope, peace and forgiveness," he said.
Eaves has put nearly $4.6 million of his own money into the race, but as his race against the better-funded Barbour winds down, he is judged a long shot to win.
Yet the novelty of the Democratic campaign, and the possibility of narrowing the "God gap" -- the edge Republicans have held in attracting evangelical voters -- will have many here and elsewhere watching just how close he can make it.
For an evangelical candidate, Mississippi is fertile ground. According to the Eaves campaign, more than 70 percent of Mississippi voters identify themselves as evangelical or "born again." And like many of them, Eaves believes the Bible is the infallible word of God and that Christ is the only way to heaven.
"Who's on Jesus' side in Mississippi?" his Web site asks.
Out of his faith, Eaves has fashioned a populist political stance.
Touring the state in a jet owned by his law firm, Eaves and Eaves, he paints Barbour -- the ex-head of the Republican National Committee and a former lobbyist -- as a Washington insider beholden to "Big Oil, Big Tobacco and Big Insurance."
After the National Rifle Association endorsed Barbour, Eaves took a typical jab. Standing before television cameras, he insisted that he's the more genuine gunslinger.
"I'm a real hunter, you know?" Eaves said. "I'm not a silk-stockinged hunter that hunts these raised pigeons . . . these tame birds."
In response, Barbour has objected, touted his leadership after Katrina and parried Eaves's religious thrusts with sarcasm. "I'll spare you the sanctimony," he said at a debate.
But if he nettles Republicans at times, Eaves also unsettles at least some Democrats with his social views and overt religious appeals.
As governor, he assures them, he would be tolerant of the views of other faiths. "Everyone searches for the truth," he said. "They ask, 'Why am I here? What is my purpose?' I find my truth in the message of Jesus. But I believe we are all united in the search for truth."
At a campaign stop Thursday in Gulfport, a gay couple, members of the local Democratic executive committee, greeted Eaves at the airport. They then taxied him to a campaign stop at a bridge opening.
Later, Renick Taylor, 38, an Internet field engineer, said he isn't much bothered by Eaves's position against same-sex marriage. Mississippi voted to ban it in 2004, anyway, he noted, leaving the next governor with limited options for legalizing it.
Eaves "injects religion into everything," Taylor said, adding that the religious talk generally appeals to him -- but not to others. "There is one atheist on the executive committee who actually cringes every time he mentions God," he said. "Fortunately, for us, there's not many atheists, and not that many people that far to the left, living in Mississippi."
© 2006-2007 The Washington Post Company


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See all 97 CommentsFreedom is apparently popular, folks. I''m glad it is. In just the last 24 hours (Nov 5, 2007), he raised over $4,200,000 in grass roots donations from his supporters nationwide, beating Mitt Romney''s previous one-day (Republican) record of 3.1 million Dollars. Do the math, folks. Ron Paul certainly isn''t getting any money from the bankers or the military industrial complex like all the sold-out NWO candidates both on the left and the right who pretend to be his equal. He''s getting support from millions of REAL people who share in his Hope For America:
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"[C]ontrary to the claims of the supporters of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the sponsors of H.Res. 676, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did not improve race relations or enhance freedom. Instead, the forced integration dictated by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 increased racial tensions while diminishing individual liberty." Ron Paul (2004)
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(1) No more meddling in other country''s political affairs
(2) No more aggressive military actions overseas
(3) No more pseudo-wars like the "War on Drugs"
(4) No more IRS and unconstitutional income taxes
(5) No more Federal Reserve (the group of private banks which owns our government)
(6) No more abortion
(7) No more U.N. participation
(8) No more federal Laws which are not authorized by The Constitution
(9) No more all-powerful federal government
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Thanks Everyone!
- Mahatma Gandhi
There is simply no other politician like Ron Paul. He understands the ills of our nation and how to cure them. The Doctor is in!
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