The Wall Street Journal-20080202-Politics - Economics- McCain Makes Headway With Conservative Wing

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Politics & Economics: McCain Makes Headway With Conservative Wing

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The Republican presidential campaigning rolls on this weekend, with Sen. John McCain working to make headway with the party's stalwarts and Mitt Romney facing renewed attention on his Mormon faith.

Mr. McCain stepped up his attempts to court the Republican right, scoring a number of high-profile endorsements this week. Yesterday, he received the support of billionaire Steve Forbes as well as former Solicitor General Theodore Olson. Mr. Olson, who served as assistant attorney general in the Reagan administration, represented President Bush in the Supreme Court case Bush v. Gore.

The picture was a bit mixed earlier in the week when Mr. McCain got near-simultaneous endorsements from moderates California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former New York Mayor and rival Rudy Giuliani, causing some consternation among party conservatives. Some prominent pundits, including Laura Ingraham and former Sen. Rick Santorum, have decried his more liberal votes and come out in favor of Mr. Romney.

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter went a step further, saying that if the race came down to Mr. McCain and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, she would rather see Mrs. Clinton elected.

Polls show Mr. McCain, who won contests in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida, leading nationally by double digits, according to an average compiled by Real Clear Politics, a nonpartisan political-news Web site. The Arizona senator has about 34% of support, compared with 22% for Mr. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, who won Wyoming, Michigan and Nevada. The other contenders, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, have 20% and 5%, respectively.

Mr. Romney's Mormon religion will once again take the stage Saturday morning -- three days before the Super Tuesday primary contests -- as he attends the funeral of Gordon Hinckley, the former president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mr. Hinckley, the longest-serving leader in the church's history, died Jan. 27 at the age of 97, and thousands are expected to attend services in Salt Lake City in his honor. When news of his death first broke, Mr. Romney praised Mr. Hinckley's "effort to reach out across the world and to faraway lands and to build temples for our church."

Mr. Romney is one of the most well-known and respected members of the church, along with Nevada Sen. Harry Reid. He spent much of December addressing questions about his faith, going so far as give a 20-minute speech about the matter at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. The speech and subsequent news coverage silenced many of his critics, keeping his Mormonism out of the headlines during January's early contests. "I'm proud of my faith; I'm not gonna distance myself from it," Mr. Romney said on the Today show in mid-December.

Polls, however, show it is an insurmountable barrier for many voters -- even more than Mr. McCain's age. In a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal survey, 45% in Super Tuesday states said it would be harder for a Mormon to unite the country. That compares with only 35% who think it would be harder for someone over age 70. (Mr. McCain is 71).

There are voters who say Mr. Romney's Mormonism doesn't lead their lists of concerns. "I would prefer a traditional Christian, but I am not voting for a preacher. I am voting for a president," said Donald Barley, 72, and a retired United Methodist preacher from Pennsylvania. Mr. Barley, who now lives in Cape Coral, Fla., voted for Mr. Romney in his state's primary largely because he "shares the moral values of United Methodists."

Mr. Romney conducted several satellite interviews this week from a campaign stop in San Diego with television stations in Illinois, West Virginia, North Dakota and Missouri. He then flew to a rally in Denver, where he received the endorsement of the Denver Post, the state's largest newspaper.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois also received some endorsement momentum on Friday with the support of MoveOn.org, a liberal organization with three million members. But Sen. Clinton is leading in national polls, with Real Clear Politics putting her at 44.6%, compared with Sen. Obama's 36%. Sen. Clinton also ranked first on a Fox News question released yesterday that asked voters which candidate they think is most likely "to do anything . . . to win."

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Alex Frangos and Sara Murray contributed to this article.