GOP candidates court Iowa evangelicals

DES MOINES - More than 1,000 Iowa Christian conservatives - a critical voting bloc among Republicans in the state's presidential-nominating caucuses - gathered Saturday evening at the Iowa State Fairgrounds to hear from Republican candidates in search of their support.

Donald Trump brought his Bible and a photograph of his confirmation.

Bobby Jindal brought withering criticism of Trump.

Trump and Jindal were among eight Republican presidential candidates who appeared at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition's Fall Banquet and Presidential Forum. Others in the 16-candidate GOP fieldcandidates were represented by surrogates or short video addresses.

Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, continued to take on the New York billionaire by reiterating criticisms he uncorked against Trump earlier this month as a narcissistic egomaniac who has no principles, who cares only about himself and who risks costing the party its chance to regain the White House in 2016.

Trump opened by showing the crowd his Bible - which he said has an inscription from his mother - and a photograph that he said shows his confirmation.

Jindal wasn't buying it.

'Folks, he hasn't read the Bible,” Jindal said of Trump. 'He's not in the Bible (and) he only reads books that he's in.”

Jindal said he likes 'the idea of Donald Trump,” a Washington outsider who is not politically correct.

'But the reality of Donald Trump is that he's a narcissist,” Jindal said. 'He believes in nothing but himself.”

Trump, who said he 'would fight for your religious liberty,” was similarly vague in response to a question about the Second Amendment, saying, 'We will keep that Second Amendment” before stem-winding to news of his spot atop the latest polls.

After his remarks, Trump hustled to a suburban Des Moines high school where he had agreed to speak to students at their homecoming celebration.

In addition to Trump and Jindal, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former New York Gov. George Pataki, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker spoke at the event.

Walker came to town after canceling a previously scheduled speech in Michigan. Walker has been struggling in the GOP polls amid a steep drop from his fast start in Iowa.

Walker opened by reminding the crowd that he survived a 2013 recall attempt sparked by his new law that stripped most collective bargaining rights of public workers. He used that recall attempt to portray himself as someone who has taken on and defeated 'Washington-based special interests.”

'Look for candidates with real solutions,” Walker implored the crowd. 'If you want someone who's going to truly wreak havoc on Washington … look to see who's been tested.”

Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake University, said events like Saturday's are critical for GOP presidential candidates because Christian conservatives historically are reliable voters. Goldford said exit polls showed Christian conservatives accounted for 60 percent of Republican Iowa caucus-goers in 2008 and 57 percent in 2012, even though they represent roughly a quarter of the state's population.

Those voters were instrumental in delivering Iowa caucus victories for Huckabee in 2008 and Santorum in 2012.

'They punch way above their weight, and these candidates know that,” Goldford said. 'In Iowa, these religious Christian conservatives are the tail that wag the dog.”

Trump has led most polls since entering the GOP race, often by wide margins. But many Iowa Republicans continue to say they have not yet chosen a candidate to support in the state's Feb. 1 first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Ron Salisbury of Johnston has a short list of candidates he is considering: Trump, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina and Cruz.

But Salisbury said he was hoping to hear more specific policies from those candidates.

Salisbury said the issues he most wants to hear candidates discuss are immigration, the economy and national security.

'I'd like to hear some more details about their plans,” Salisbury said. 'So far they've been mostly vague.”

Still, there was plenty of talk about issues of faith, such as conservatives' belief that religious freedom is being threatened, and calls to action against Planned Parenthood, the women's health care services provider that has been targeted by conservatives.

'Ladies and gentleman, our values - your values - are under assault,” said Huckabee, who won the 2008 Iowa GOP caucus.

All calls for cutting off all government funding to Planned Parenthood were greeted with rousing applause and standing ovations.