Religion will play an important role in today's South Carolina Democratic primary, just as it did in last week's South Carolina Republican primary. The difference is that we'll learn less about how religion affects today's vote than we learned about how it influenced last week's contest.

Last week, thanks to exit polls, we understood the religious breakdown, how often voters attended religious services, whether they considered themselves born-again or evangelical Christians, whether they said the candidates' religious beliefs mattered and what they thought about abortion. And the polls helped to shape the news coverage, so we saw headlines such as: "Evangelical Republicans Drive S.C. Primary" and "Ideology, Religion Important in S.C."

If previous exit polls this cycle are any indicator, religion will be much less central to the exit polls today. At most, Democrats have been asked which religion they identify with and how often they go to church. In Iowa and Michigan, Democrats weren't asked about religion at all. And that, in turn, has shaped the news coverage, making it appear that one party has a monopoly on religion in this race.

I'm chief of staff of the Democratic National Committee and CEO of the 2008 Democratic Convention. I'm also an ordained Pentecostal minister. So I've been encouraged by the growing attention paid to the role of religion in politics as we go about the important task of electing our next president. I've been disappointed, however, with the focus of the discussion so far.

Democrats have been, are and will continue to be people of faith. My own support for the party stems from my sense that it is most emblematic of gospel values. Democrats believe in equal opportunity for all Americans, that no child should go to bed hungry or go without health care, that we should be good stewards of the earth, that we shouldn't pass on debt to our children, and that people who work hard should be able to earn a living wage so they can support their families.

As a "big tent" party, we embrace and represent people from a number of faith traditions. The religious diversity of our party reflects the rich religious diversity of our nation -- and this includes those who don't identify with a religious tradition.

But, for too long, we allowed the other side to define us and our values. Some Democrats were reluctant to talk about faith on the campaign trail. While strong, our faith was a personal, not partisan, matter.

Following the 2004 election, it became clear that Republicans used religion to create a divide. And, as people of faith and as Democrats, we had a responsibility to speak out. That's what we're doing now. The DNC has been actively engaging people of faith who share the core values and principles of the Democratic Party. We've assembled a team of religious leaders -- including pastors, theologians and organizational leaders -- to open a dialogue and build coalitions around our shared values. And America has seen the Democratic presidential candidates sharing their own faith journeys, talking about how faith informs their politics.

We know the support is there -- and growing. In fact, Democrats narrowed the Republican advantage among weekly churchgoers in the 2006 election, and a recent Pew survey found that the number of young evangelicals who identified themselves as Republican dropped by 15 percentage points, from 55 percent in 2001 to 40 percent today.

Yet the exit polls and the media reports and the pundits have largely missed this story. They often fail to acknowledge that people of faith are and can be Democrats.

To be sure, exit-poll questions asking Republicans if they are born-again or evangelical Christians may be trying to approximate questions in years past about identification with the "Religious Right." But this is an outdated script that leaves the impression that religion and faith matter only to Republicans.

Religion will continue to play a prominent role in the Democratic nominating process as well. And pollsters and pundits and all the media would do well to examine this interesting and important dynamic.

The writer is chief of staff of the Democratic Party and CEO of the Democratic Convention in Denver.

Dear Polling or Political Director:

Religion is playing an unprecedented role in the 2008 presidential campaign; the need for accurate and thorough information about religious voters is difficult to overstate. Thus far, the National Election Pool's exit poll surveys have pigeonholed evangelicals, reinforcing the false stereotype that we are beholden to one political party.

Your entrance and exit polls at the Iowa caucuses asked Republican caucus-goers if they were "born-again or evangelical Christian(s)," but did not ask the same question of Democrats. This omission left a substantive hole in subsequent news coverage of the caucuses. Based on your polling, the public helpfully learned that born-again or evangelical Christians played a central role in Mike Huckabee's victory, but received no information about the impact of evangelical voters in the Democratic race.

As reported by numerous news organizations, candidates of both parties spoke explicitly of their religious faith while campaigning in Iowa and have robust faith outreach operations. By omitting the question of evangelical/born-again identification from the Democratic polls, you prevented the public from seeing the full picture of how the bipartisan courtship of evangelical voters affected the outcome of the first contest of the 2008 campaign and perpetuated the mis perception that all evangelical Christians are Republicans.

No party can own any faith. Evangelicals have broadened their agenda to include care for the planet, the poor and the stranger, and as a result are increasingly diverse politically.

Your New Hampshire exit polls gathered much more detailed information about voters' religion but still asked only Republican voters if they were evangelical or born-again. The data revealed a significant difference between the voting patterns of Republican evangelicals in Iowa and New Hampshire. In Iowa, Mike Huckabee dominated, claiming 46 percent of evangelicals' support, with no other candidate receiving even 20 percent. In New Hampshire McCain, Romney and Huckabee split the evangelical vote almost evenly. The disparity of these results suggests that evangelical voters' behavior may not conform to expectations, which further shows the need to measure it in both parties.

With voters entering polling sites in Michigan, Nevada and South Carolina in the coming days and weeks and Super Tuesday following shortly thereafter, it is imperative for you to remedy the imbalance in your exit polling immediately. Evangelicalism is not a monolithic movement that fits neatly into one party. For the sake of accuracy and dispelling shopworn stereotypes, we urge you to allow all evangelicals an opportunity to be represented in your surveys and polling data.

Dr. Joel Hunter, Senior Pastor, Northland A Church Distributed

David Neff, Editor, Christianity Today

Rev. Jim Wallis, Founder, Sojourners

Randy Brinson, Founder, Redeem the Vote

Paul Corts, President, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities

Dr. David P. Gushee, Distinguished university professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University

Brian McLaren, Author, Founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church

Randall Balmer, Professor of American religious history at Barnard College, Columbia University

Glen Stassen, Lewis B. Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary

*Institutional affiliations are given for identification purposes only.

Best known for his "I Have a Dream" speech, King was a civil rights leader who will remain part of our collective conscious forever. King's accomplishments are too numerous to fully list, but here is a sample:

* President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a leading civil rights organization. The organization combined Christian ideals with the techniques of Gandhi.

* Led a monumental demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama that made him a household name nearly worldwide. His "Letter from Birmingham Jail," written while he was in police custody after being arrested for peacefully protesting segregation, explains why the civil rights movement was justified in using civil disobedience.

* King directed the March on Washington, a march involving over 200,000 people in Washington, D.C. that culminated with his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial.

* King was named Man of the Year by Time Magazine in 1963.

* King wrote five books and numerous articles; he was arrested upwards of twenty times; and was assaulted at least four times.

Two of my favorite quotes by a man of never-ending wisdom:

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. by remembering his words.

"We are excited that the DNC's Black Caucus is bringing the summit to Detroit. This event promises to be a valuable opportunity to network and organize with prominent African American leaders and rank and file Democrats from around the country. Summit participants will discuss the need for an urban agenda and critical issues such as voting rights, minimum wage, jobs, economic opportunity, social justice, health care, and getting out the vote.

"This November, Democrats will offer a new direction for America that will reverse the failed policies of the Bush Administration and Washington Republicans. The African American community has witnessed firsthand the Bush Administration 's long record of failure and incompetence, from the failed federal government response to Hurricane Katrina to under-funding of public education, cuts to small businesses and community development funds, and declining incomes, higher poverty levels and the loss of health care coverage for many African Americans . At next week's summit, we will engage African American leaders on the critical role African Americans will play in the fight to bring real and much needed change to our country."

DNC Chairman Howard Dean
DNC Vice Chair Lottie Shackelford
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI)
Rep. John Conyers (MI-14)
Rep. Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick (MI-13)
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18)
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin
Former New Jersey Secretary of State Rev. Regena Thomas
Cornell Belcher, Brilliant Corners
Bishop David G. Evans, Pastor - Bethany Baptist Church
Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., Chair of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Latoia Jones, Executive Director College Democrats of America
Malia Lazu, Director of the Racial Justice Campaign Fund at Progressive Majority
Rev. Al Sharpton, National Action Network
Tracy Sturdivant, Vice-President of the White House Project
Rev. Romal Tune, CEO Clergy Strategic Alliances, LLC

Washington, DC -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

"Today, we celebrate the birth, the life, and the legacy of a great American. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed enough in this country to demand that its promise be available to all Americans.

"The principles in which he believed and to which he dedicated himself flowed from a fundamental respect for the dignity of each human being. Dr. King gave voice and vigor to a movement and to a dream of his beloved community. In doing so he gave back to America its founding promise.

"We honor him best by honoring his principles, not just today but every day of the year."

• Keep our promises to families and create opportunity for all of America’s children. Improving our public schools is critical to protecting the future success of children in undeserved communities, eliminating the cycle of poverty and continuing the rich legacy of African American leadership in our country.


• Make quality healthcare affordable and available to all. We know health is an issue of body and mind and access to quality care is important to stable families.


• Ensure that Social Security remains an available public protection to those hard workers who have invested in it. Many of the elders in our community fought to build a better life for future generations. We should honor this sacrifice and help decrease their financial burdens upon retirement.


• Make America safer at home and abroad.

Join us today to stay informed on issues that matter to the African American Church community and check out the ways you can get involved in your community on PartyBuilder.

"The AME church was founded in response to discrimination - when black Methodists were asked to worship separately from their white counterparts. Since then the church has been a cornerstone of the black community...and it's an honor to be here...

"The church has an essential role in America and in nations around the world. It provides social services, outreach, and refuge to the poor and downtrodden...

"Although we work on different paths, we are united by many of our common goals...

"Our values are far closer than some would have us believe...

"I want to talk to you about what Democrats stand for, and why we are Democrats. We believe that everyone is equal in the eyes of God. We want to bring people together around the common good, and we have a strong belief in the fundamental value of community...

"Many in the political arena want to distort moral values for their own purposes and ignore what's really important. Universally throughout multiple religions and faiths, the idea of reciprocity and treating your neighbor as you want to be treated is a basic tenet...

"I am not a preacher. That is not my calling. But in my public role as Chair of the Democratic Party and in my private role as citizen, I believe that I and we collectively are called to serve one another...

"You can not lift up your fellow man by cutting education programs such as Head Start, Pell grants, or by cutting community development block grants. You can not lift up your fellow man by cutting job training, and Social Security, and small business opportunities. And you can't lift up your country, if you cater to the lower laurels of human nature by using a political strategy that divides Americans by race or religious denomination to win elections...

"Today all across the country the Republican party is driving an anti-immigrant hysteria, intended to divide America ahead of the 2006 elections. In 2002 they used the racially coded word "quota" to incite fear and prejudice on the part of those who thought they would lose jobs and educational opportunities to minorities...

"The Democratic Party will not divide Americans to win elections. We have much to do...and we need to do it together...

"The Republican leadership likes to talk about their connection with African Americans and their heritage as the party of Lincoln. This new stump is chock full of apology but light on true repentance...

"Like America, the Democratic Party has grown and evolved and our relationship with the African American community is a progressive movement...

"We are the party of the Congressional Black Caucus and Senator Barack Obama...It is no mere coincidence that the vast majority of African American elected officials are Democrat and that Democrats continue to lead the effort to put African Americans in office around the country...

"We have to be in the African American community today and year round and not just two weeks before an election. The African American community has been a loyal constituency of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party has taken the African American vote for granted - we will not do that again...

"Decency, lifting up our fellow man, bringing hope to the those left out of the process and ensuring that our nation's prosperity is shared by all...these are things that the African Methodist Episcopal Church has stood for and these are things that Democrats stand for...

"I commend the AME Church for your commitment to opening the doors to opportunity through education. Since Brown v. Board of Education, we have made tremendous progress, but there is work to be done. We must ensure that every child in America regardless of race, class, economic status receives a quality education...And we must provide more than paltry funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

"It is unacceptable that we are the only industrialized nation where illness can be met with uncertainty, even poverty. Only 58% of blacks have private health insurance in comparison with %79 of whites. HIV/AIDS has been disproportionately affecting the AA community. We need a healthcare system that works for everyone...

"The new civil rights struggle is the fight for economic opportunity, for entrepreneurship, jobs, prosperity, and home ownership. It is a struggle for equal access to loans, small business training and assistance and financial literacy...

"It is the idea that every American is entitled to a fair shot at the American dream...

"Finally, I want to commend the AME on the creation of the AME V-Alert initiative. There is no democratic right more basic to our democracy than the power of the vote...

"Democrats understand that you can't ask for the vote of African Americans if you're not willing to support the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act...the very thing that empowered African Americans to participate in the political process...

"Last month the DNC Voting Rights Institute issued a report on the 2004 Ohio elections that found that if you were African American you had to wait three times as long to vote and were twice as likely to experience problems while trying to vote...

"This is not right. This is not the American way, and it's not good for our democracy when our citizens don't have confidence that their voice is being heard...and Democrats will continue to fight to guarantee that no American is denied the right to vote, and that their votes are counted."