May 5, 2003
Edwards' Faith Likely to be a Critical Matter in S.C. Primary
by Kevin Begos
Winston-Salem Journal
The South Carolina primary - scheduled for Feb. 3, 2004 - is shaping up to be the first "must win" for Sen. John Edwards in his campaign for president, and perhaps the first test of whether Edwards' Christian beliefs will help him in Southern states.
"I'm a Christian, and I hold my beliefs very, very deeply," Edwards said in 2001. "Jesus Christ is the savior of the world." Asked last week about how religion relates to politics, Edwards said that his faith is both a "private matter" and something that may be especially relevant to voters in the South.
"I have a connection with their values, and that includes faith. Do I think I can connect with those people? Of course, I do," Edwards said.
Edwards has been the focus of intense media interest in Washington over the last two years, but his strong Christian faith has been mostly overlooked, even though Edwards was co-chairman of the Senate Prayer Breakfast - attended mostly by Republicans - for two years.
"Up to this point it hasn't been an issue. (Hearing about it) even surprised me," said Stephen Hess, a political scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington.
Edwards is a longtime member of the Edenton Street Methodist Church in Raleigh, and is still listed as a member of the Urban Ministries Board of Directors at the church. Edwards' close political adviser, Ed Turlington, is also a member of the church.
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