A sudden, Sunday tug-of-war for evangelical voters in Georgia
Suddenly, a Georgia church has become the site of a serious tug-of-war for evangelical voters between Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee.
On Sunday evening, both candidates will appear at Rock Springs Church in Milner, Ga., pastored by the Rev. Benny Tate, one of Georgia’s higher-profile Southern Baptist preachers.
Cruz was already on our radar as an attendee at the 5 p.m. event. The Huckabee campaign announced this afternoon that the former governor of Arkansas would make the event as well.
The July 5 event, an Independence Day picnic, also features Jep Robertson of "Duck Dynasty," and music by the Charlie Daniels Band.
Exemplified by the announcement of his presidential intentions at Liberty University this spring, Cruz has pursued the religious conservatives who have formed the base of the GOP – a group that Huckabee claimed in his 2008 presidential bid.
Both Huckabee and Cruz have condemned the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning state bans on gay marriage in several states, including Georgia.
Look for that to be the mainstay of their remarks.
About the Author
Jim Galloway, the newspaper’s former political columnist, was a writer and editor at the AJC for four decades.
