| Democrat's ad highlights her Christian faith, experts
say COLUMBIA - Political observers say a recent television ad by Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Inez Tenenbaum subtly touches on the issue of religion. The ad mentions that Ms. Tenenbaum's mother was a Sunday school teacher. Ms. Tenenbaum is Methodist; her husband is Jewish. "I think it was designed to identify her as a Protestant," College of Charleston political science professor Bill Moore said. "It's a way to appeal to the conservative constituents in the state." Religion matters in South Carolina, Mr. Moore said, and campaigns have used it as a wedge issue. Ms. Tenenbaum's faith has been used by opponents in past elections, largely based on the misconception that she is Jewish. Religious affiliation has otherwise not been raised in her race with Republican Jim DeMint, a Presbyterian. Ms. Tenenbaum would not comment, but a campaign spokeswoman said the ad is intended only to highlight the candidate's faith. "South Carolinians in general are people of strong faith," Kay Packett said. "We want to know that a candidate has strong values, but once we know that, we vote based on specific concerns." Ms. Tenenbaum and state Rep. Joel Lourie, D-Columbia, were the targets of a flier in 1998 that referred to the two as "anti-Christian Jewish Democrats" and urged voters to support their Christian opponents. In the 1994 race for lieutenant governor, rival Democrat Liz Patterson claimed Ms. Tenenbaum was getting much of her financial support from the "Jewish community." Ms. Patterson later apologized for the remark. Religion is an important issue in many campaigns because South Carolina is home to more than 2 million Christian church members. The state's second leading religion is Judaism, with about 10,000 adherents statewide. Some non-Christians have succeeded in South Carolina politics, but the record of non-Christians holding statewide office has not been as strong. Some say Ms. Tenenbaum's faith is not nearly as important as her identification as a Democrat. Political and religious groups often hand out scorecards that rate candidates on a number of issues important to church-goers, such as abortion. Those issues tend to favor Republican candidates among conservative voters, Mr. Moore said. "The bottom line is, you now have the Republican Party being perceived as the party defending values," he said. "Whether or not a Democrat can now win a statewide seat like U.S. Senate in South Carolina is yet to be seen."
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