New Orleans, La., Jun 20, 2011 / 23:55 pm
While Gov. Haley Barbour has told the Southern Republican Leadership Conference that primary voters should not expect a “perfect candidate” or demand “purity,” commentator Deal Hudson says Republicans must have a “pro-life and pro-marriage” nominee to attract Catholic voters.
“It's not a matter of demanding 'purity' from a candidate but rather a matter of expecting principle and prudence. It's a matter of principle because the Catholic Church teaches, and most Americans agree, that unborn life should be protected and that marriage is between a man and a woman,” Hudson said.
Selecting such a nominee is also a matter of “political prudence” because a nominee who is not pro-life and pro-marriage will not be able to “ignite the Catholics, evangelicals and other social conservatives at the grassroots whose commitment and passion will determine the outcome of the 2012 election,” he said.
Hudson’s comments came June 18 at a social issues panel held at the conference under the sponsorship of the Susan B. Anthony List. At a prior conference event, Gov. Barbour spoke to attendees about the need to rally around a Republican nominee.