WAVERLY, Iowa (AP) – Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio promised to keep “talking about God” as he campaigned across Iowa Monday, reminding influential evangelical voters of his commitment to Christian values just two weeks before the state’s leadoff caucuses.
The Florida senator’s GOP rivals have dismissed him as too moderate at times, but on Monday, he spoke of how Christian conservative values would guide his decisions in the White House, if he is elected. The Florida senator, a Catholic, opened up about religion when confronted by an atheist during a town hall-style meeting in Waverly, Iowa.
“No one’s going to force you to believe in God. But no one’s going to force me to stop talking about God,” Rubio told the atheist, Justin Scott, of Waterloo.
Added Rubio, “Not only am I a Christian, not only am I influenced by my faith, but it is the single greatest influence in my life. And from that I’ll never hide.”
Looking up at businessman Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the polls, the first-term senator is trying to break out of the crowded Republican field. There are several candidates aggressively courting Iowa’s religious conservatives, who typically play outsized influence in the opening contest. Cruz is particularly popular among such voters, as is retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Gov. Rick Santorum.