Marco Rubio denied he is the savior of the Republican Party at the Iowa GOP debate Thursday, but took every opportunity to emphasize his Chrisitian faith.
Returning again and again to a theme that appears to have lifted his poll numbers in recent days, Rubio said: “There is only one savior and it is not me. It is Jesus Christ.”
Rubio’s comments during the Fox News debate in Des Moines came just a few days before the Iowa caucuses on Monday. Evangelical Christians make up a sizable contingent of GOP caucus-goers and traditionally their support has proved decisive.
Later in the debate, Rubio returned to the subject of his faith, saying it will influence his actions as president, and that the Judeo-Christian influence is needed. His appeal to evangelicals also seems calculated to draw support away from one of his main rivals for the nomination, Sen. Ted Cruz.
“My faith will not just influence the way I will govern as president, because it will influence my life,” Rubio said.
Rubio’s comments on his faith have increased in recent weeks and are starting to pick up steam. His poll numbers in Iowa have increased to 18 percent in the latest NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll, putting him clearly in third place behind Cruz and Donald Trump.
Video of a Rubio exchange with an atheist last week in Iowa has been widely. The atheist asked Rubio about religious liberty and whether he was running to be “pastor in chief.”
“No one will take away my right and your right to live out the teachings of your faith,” Rubio responded, saying that no one will force him or anyone else to stop talking about God.
“If you don’t believe the Judeo-Christian values then you don’t understand history,” he added.
A few weeks ago, Rubio also cut a TV ad that discusses his faith.
“Our goal is eternity, the ability to live alongside our creator for all time,” the Catholic said in the ad. “The purpose of our life is to cooperate with God’s plan.”
