Christian conservatives receptive to Romney's speech

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Moving to win over Christian conservatives wary of his Mormon faith, Republican Mitt Romney said Thursday his religion shouldn't preclude him from being president and wouldn't dictate his decisions if elected.

"I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause and no one interest," Romney said in a speech that comes as Mike Huckabee has gone ahead in polls in Iowa with strong support from evangelicals.

Christian conservatives who heard Thursday's speech at the George Bush Presidential Library generally gave Romney good marks. But the test of whether the former Massachusetts governor can win over religious conservatives won't come until the Iowa presidential caucuses next month.

About 39 percent of likely GOP Iowa caucus-goers describe themselves as evangelicals, and many of them say they would be reluctant to vote for a Mormon.

Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, who has not endorsed a candidate in the race, said the speech "won't hurt" in efforts to attract faith-based voters.

"He certainly helped himself with some evangelicals. But let's remember, Kennedy didn't convert all Protestants" with his 1960 speech on religion and politics, said Land, who was among guests invited by the Romney camp.

Lou Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition and a Romney supporter, called the speech "a defining moment" for the campaign.

"I now have enough ammunition to silence the criticism of an unbelievable number of these friends of mine," he said.

But Florida televangelist Bill Keller, reflecting an anti-Mormon streak among some religious conservatives, said the speech isn't enough to convince those who believe Mormonism is a cult.

The Romney campaign had debated for months whether to confront questions about the candidate's religion, much as John F. Kennedy did 47 years ago in his speech to Protestant ministers in Houston.

Kennedy's task then was to reassure voters that the Vatican would not exert influence on his decisions as president. He emphasized a high wall between religious faith and public action.

Romney's mission was different. Christian conservatives, who make up a crucial voting bloc in the Republican Party, want religious faith to inform the decisions of their political leaders.