Social conservatives saw the move as a disappointment at best, and at worst, a betrayal—and some are still smarting over it.
“The reason why conservatives are not going to be moved that much by this choice is because Mike Pence, when he had an opportunity to stand up for religious liberty, to mark himself in history, he didn’t do that,” said South Carolina-based Pastor Mike Gonzalez, who led evangelical outreach for Cruz in the state. He went on to add, “I’d never thought that of Mike, but when it came down to it, he crumbled under pressure. That, for many evangelical conservatives, has been something that is a red flag.”
In an interview in POLITICO’s Playbook earlier last week, conservative Iowa radio host Steve Deace, who helped Cruz win that state on the strength of support from the evangelical community, went a step further, declaring of Pence’s actions, “It was the worst we’ve ever been stabbed in the back by a Republican. It’s the worst I’ve ever seen.”
And conservative radio host Erick Erickson wrote, “Christian evangelicals, in particular, were disheartened that Pence threw them under the bus. The irony is that, as Trump’s vice presidential pick, some of those evangelicals most critical of Pence at the time will now come out and say how awesome he is. But during that fight there was real bitterness in the evangelical community that Pence clearly did not have the courage of his convictions.”
Certainly, plenty of movement conservative leaders are happy with the selection, with Marjorie Dannenfelser of the anti-abortion rights Susan B. Anthony List calling Pence a “pro-life trailblazer” in a statement, and leaders from several other prominent groups telling POLITICO that most evangelical voters are paying more attention to Pence’s long, conservative record in his earlier job as congressman than to his actions in one legislative fight.
“There are definitely people that will be a little focused on that as…not his highest moment, but I will say, I also think that doesn’t discount 15 years of strong personal faith [in Congress and as governor], as well as a very conservative voting record,” said Timothy Head, the executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a major conservative religious group. “Any elected official or public figure, there’s always going to be two sides of a ledger, but the side of his ledger of conservatism and faith far outweighs any criticism people may have.”
Indeed, Pence is someone who often describes himself as a “Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order,” and as a congressman, developed a reputation as a strong opponent of abortion and gay marriage. Penny Nance, the head of Concerned Women for America—who has had plenty of reservations about Trump in the past—said Pence gave her reason for optimism about the GOP team. “As governor, the RFRA issue was difficult, it wasn’t handled the way I would have chosen,” she said. But, she continued, “I also look back at Pence’s record on marriage, religious freedom…He voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment, every vote he took was pro-religious freedom. The preponderance of his record is strongly pro-marriage.” She added, “Mike Pence will bring some weight to the ticket. As far as conservatives go, he’s someone we know, someone we’ve worked with over the years. I look forward to working with him.”
But not everyone has moved on.
“The view shared by many in my camp is, Mike Pence really destroyed his reputation among social conservatives in Indiana over his fecklessness on the religious freedom bill,” said one evangelical activist currently involved in Republican races. “Because of that, there’s not going to be much enthusiasm for his placement on the ticket among evangelical social conservatives.”
In the eyes of its supporters, Pence’s initial RFRA measure was meant to protect individuals from government mandates that could encroach on their free expression of religion. He tapped into an issue that resonated deeply with a religious community that feels that that right is under assault in an era of contraception mandates and wide and growing acceptance of same-sex marriage.
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