Christian conservatives are often seen as more of a force in national politics than state affairs. Witness the media descending on Washington, D.C., for the Value Voters Summit as possible presidential candidates like Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal and Rick Santorum make their cases in preparation for 2016.
But while Christian conservatives continue to shape the national GOP on social issues and foreign policy, they remain more of a force in state politics -- and that could be bad news for John Morgan and supporters of Amendment 2 on medical marijuana. Morgan, United for Care and other pro-Amendment 2 forces havent made much of a push for Christian conservatives and that could come back and haunt them come November.
Admittedly, Morgan is not exactly well-positioned to reach out to these voters, especially after a speech went viral in which he urged voters to back Amendment 2 while making reference to his own marijuana use and liberally using profanities. But pro-Amendment 2 forces are making a serious mistake in ignoring these voters.
Christian conservatives are more likely to vote than most other segments of the population, especially in an off-year election. They dont agree with many of Amendment 2s supporters on a range of issues.
But, increasingly, Christian conservatives across the nation are becoming open to marijuana legalization. The most high-profile Christian conservative to support marijuana legalization was Pat Robertson who walked it back earlier this year. There certainly is a case to be made for medical marijuana in Christian terms as Jim Daly from Focus on the Family, a staunch opponent of recreational legalization, admitted earlier this year.
With supporters of Amendment 2 ignoring them, opponents of the proposal are cultivating Christian conservatives. The Florida Family Policy Council and other groups are already reaching out to Christian voters and urging them to oppose Amendment 2. Theres certainly plenty of reasons for religious conservatives to be against Amendment 2: the high profile of a trial lawyer like Morgan, suspicions that it was only added to the ballot to help Morgans old employee Charlie Crist beat Rick Scott, concerns that it is just a stepping stone to recreational legalization, and too many loopholes.
Efforts from the opponents of Amendment 2 could bear fruit come November. Polls are showing Amendment 2 simply not running as strongly as it did a few months ago. This is increasingly looking like every vote will count since Amendment 2 needs 60 percent of the vote to be adopted.
Supporters of Amendment 2 would be wise to reach out to Christian conservatives, many of whom are very likely to vote in November, and make their case or at least address their concerns. Its an unusual audience, to be sure, but it is also a voting bloc which can help them get across the finishing line if Amendment 2 backers can make an argument that attracts faith-based voters.
Theres a Christian case to be made for medical marijuana use. The question is, can John Morgan and company make a Christian case for Amendment 2.
Tallahassee-based political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis exclusively for Sunshine State News.
