Issues of faith and religion come to the forefront quite often during elections and presidential campaigns. In preparation for the primary elections, I thought it would be helpful to provide a "faith snapshot" of each of the 2008 presidential candidates. I have sent each candidate a brief questionnaire about their faith. This project will be continually updated as I receive responses and find additional faith-related statements from the candidates. Please check back often!
Go Back to Complete List of 2008 Presidential Candidates.
• Richardson withdraws his candidacy - 01/10/08.
Party: Democratic
Age: 60
Education:
Tufts University, B.A.
Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, M.A.
Current Position: Governor, New Mexico
Experience: Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, U.S. Secretary of Energy
Declared Candidacy: May 2007
Religion/Church: Roman Catholic
Through the influence of his grandmother, while growing up in Mexico City, Bill Richardson went to a Catholic Church every Sunday, attended catechism and took Communion as a young child. He said prayers in Spanish before bed and went to church before his Little League games. In Richardson's book, Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life, he explains that God played a big role in his youth.
In a recent interview with The Albuquerque Tribune Richardson said that religion is still an important part of his life and how he will govern: "I feel that through my Roman Catholic beliefs, I care about social justice, I care about improving the lives of those who are destitute, those who are poor." He said he was inspired by his local priest to work to raise the minimum wage in New Mexico.
Democrats
Hillary Clinton - United Methodist
Barack Obama - United Church of Christ
John Edwards - United Methodist
Mike Gravel - Unitarian Universalist
Dennis Kucinich - Roman Catholic
Republicans
Rudy Giuliani - Roman Catholic
Mike Huckabee - Southern Baptist
Mitt Romney - Mormon
Fred Thompson - Church of Christ
John McCain - Christian
Duncan Hunter - Southern Baptist
Ron Paul - Baptist
