THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 4, 1996 TAG: 9611040061
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CINCINNATI LENGTH: 53 lines
Christian Coalition leaders said their massive get-out-the-vote effort across the country on Sunday was a success, but the real results won't be seen until Tuesday's election.
The Chesapeake-based group mounted the greatest political effort in its history, distributing 45 million voter guides in 125,000 churches nationwide and contacting three million to five million voters in person or by telephone.
``Directors in key states were thrilled with how the project came off,'' said Mike Russell, a national Christian Coalition spokesman. ``They ran out of voters' guides in Florida, Georgia and Texas. Some pastors asked if they had any more to distribute.''
Russell said he did not know how the project went in all 50 states.
``But in terms of random checks across the country, the initial feedback is that the project went off very, very well,'' he said.
The voter guides compare how Democratic and Republican candidates stand on issues such as abortion, prayer in public schools and homosexuals in the military. Critics say they overwhelmingly favor Republicans.
Ralph Reed, the coalition's executive director, said Saturday in Cincinnati that the grassroots effort will help Republicans retain control of Congress and make the race for the White House close.
The Christian Coalition traditionally distributes its literature late in the election season; that strategy could be even more important this year, especially since several polls show presidential challenger Bob Dole and other Republicans gaining momentum in the past 10 days. President Clinton is still leading Dole by double digits in nationwide opinion polls.
The AFL-CIO - heavily supporting Democrats - has already spent most of the $35 million it targeted on the congressional elections.
Critics charge that the coalitions's voter guides are based on false and misleading information and are biased in favor of conservative candidates.
People For The American Way President Carole Freeman, whose group conducted a survey of the voter guides, on Saturday called them a ``fraud perpetuated by a plainly partisan group.''
Russell maintained the voter guides are based on candidate surveys, voting records and public statements made by candidates.
Phil Burress, a member of the Ohio Christian Coalition's board of directors, said the voter guides were popular in his state.
``They were gobbling them up,'' he said. ``There were not enough to go around in many of the churches - it was a good sign that Christian voters are going to be involved in the system.''
The coalition was born of religious broadcaster Pat Robertson's 1988 presidential campaign.
The coalition claims 1.7 million members, but its primary publication, the Christian American magazine, is distributed to just over 300,000 people.
KEYWORDS: CHRISTIAN COALITION VOTER GUIDE ELECTION CAMPAIGN by CNB