For Christian evangelical voters in Iowa this election cycle is an embarrassment of riches. They’re having a hard time picking a candidate because, for the first time many can remember, they have several options to choose from.
Nine Republican presidential hopefuls spoke Saturday at an event hosted by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, a successor to the the now-defunct Christian Coalition. They hoped to win over supporters for the state’s presidential caucus, the first major event in the presidential primary.
The Iowans could not agree on who did best.
“I’d like to elect all of them,” said Doug Brown, who lives north of Des Moines. “Maybe one of them can get elected and appoint all of the rest as the cabinet secretaries. I mean, this so much better than we are used to.”
Dick Gabriel of Indianola expressed nearly the exact same sentiment, adding that conservatives were so much luckier than those on the other side. “I wonder how the Democrats are going to deal with it having just one candidate,” he said.
Speakers at the event included Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Marco Rubio of Florida; former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, California businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Paul impressed many with his remarks, during which he argued that conservatives could put put Democrats on the defensive on the abortion issue, citing a recent exchange he had with Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Fla.
Des Moines resident Jas Overlin, an independent who came to the event with her more conservative husband, liked what she heard. “To me, it is not a matter of party. There is no argument over when life begins,” she said.
Paul closed with an impassioned defense of civil rights, arguing that conservatives shouldn’t just be the defenders of the Second Amendment, but of the fourth and sixth as well. Defending the rights against unlawful searches and for a speedy trial would bring in non-conservatives, to the fold, he said.
Jindal, who has given awkward, halting performances during past public speeches, probably helped himself the most among candidates at the event simply by showing much more polish this time.
He gave an impassioned defense of religious liberties and vowed to never be “bullied” on the issue, citing the recent controversy over Indiana’s adoption of a religious freedom law. Several attendees put him in their front rank of candidates.
“For me, it is Bobby Jindal or maybe Mike Huckabee or Ted Cruz,” said Rick, who declined to give his last name.
Cruz and Huckabee gave similarly impassioned defenses of religious liberties that drew similarly enthusiastic responses.
Rubio’s remarks about his immigrant family were judged by many to be the most inspiring of the night. The senator never raised his own efforts to forge a bipartisan compromise on immigration policy though, a sign that he fears the topic would be a drag on his candidacy.
“Rubio seems to have the gift of public speaking,” Brown said.
Walker suffered a bit from being the last speaker at the event, which had run about an hour late by the time he took the stage. Well before then, many said the auditorium had become uncomfortably hot and had to leave. He soldiered on though and drew a strong response from the crowd.
Many of the women were pleasantly surprised by Carly Fiorina. Her speech discussed a recent bout with cancer and the subsequent recovery, which helped to humanize a candidate who remains little-known to many Iowans.
“I was impressed with Carly,” said Coretha Rozenball, “I’m not as libertarian as she is, but I like what she had to say.”
Santorum, who won the caucus in 2012, was less-enthusiastically received this time, reflecting the fact that he has more competition this time as the choice of social conservatives.
Perry struggled at times through his speech, stating at one point, “The best years ahead are ahead of us,” reviving concerns for some that he’s still not ready for the national stage.
“He’s yesterday’s news but he’d make a great energy secretary,” said Michael Mossman.
Few had anything really negative to say about about the speakers.
“I cannot think of a single one who said anything that I really disagreed with,” Brown said, adding, “Of course, that’s probably because Donald Trump wasn’t here.”
