After Kennedy, it had been rare for candidates to spend much time talking about their religion until President George W. Bush's quest for evangelical support. Asked during a 2000 campaign debate to name his favorite philosopher, he answered "Jesus."But while Kennedy promised not to let religion influence him, Romney is trying to court religious voters as well as others wary of his particular denomination. "What Kennedy was trying to do was run as a secular American," said Fr. Paul Crowley, a Jesuit who chairs the Santa Clara University's Religious Studies Department. "Now, people who are running for public office have to justify themselves as people of some kind of faith and at the same time be able to assure people that their particular brand of faith is not so exotic or strange," Crowley said.
James Donahue, president of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, said voters want to how a leader's religious convictions affect decisions. "People are going to want to know if your religious beliefs give you the capability to adapt to changing circumstances or whether they are so rigid that you can't adapt."
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