Republican hopefuls court "religious right"

By Ed Stoddard

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney touched on his Mormon faith on Friday to a mostly evangelical audience of social conservatives as he and other Republican contenders in the 2008 White House race tried to woo them at a Washington gathering of "values voters."

Comprised of mostly white evangelical Protestants, the movement known as the "religious right" is a key Republican base that has yet to rally around a single candidate. Those speaking on Friday cast themselves as stridently anti-abortion and pro-family conservatives.

Some evangelicals are throwing their support behind Romney who said he would be a "pro-life president," but his biggest weakness in the view of some analysts is his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Mormon religion is formally known.

"I imagine that one or two of you may have heard that I'm Mormon," Romney, addressing a subject he does not usually draw attention to, said to polite laughter from the crowd.

"I've just heard that some people think that they can't support someone of my faith. ... What I'm pleased about is many people of faith have come to endorse my candidacy," he said.

A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that 52 percent of white evangelicals who attend church on a weekly basis did not view the Mormon faith as Christian.

"There is no way that I can vote for a Mormon. I'm a Southern Baptist and I've always been taught that Mormonism is a cult," said Filipe DaCosta, a supporter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a staunch evangelical conservative due to speak on Saturday.

INFLUENCE WANING?

The strong showing of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is leading national Republican polls despite his support for abortion and gay rights, has raised questions over the influence of the religious right in the party.

But it still clearly has some clout -- all the main Republican candidates were making speeches at the summit, with all but Giuliani taking stridently anti-abortion positions.

"I have been pro-life my entire public career. I believe I am the only major candidate in either party who can make that claim," said Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Being devout and opposed to gay rights were familiar refrains.

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson said his first act as president would be to seek divine guidance.

"I would go into the Oval Office and close the door and pray for the wisdom to know what was right," he said.

The Republican field thinned on Friday with Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback's departure from the race.