Political activist David Lane says that if former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee had been the vice presidential pick in 2008 and 2012, Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney would have won because he would have helped them pick up the evangelical vote.
"In 2008, the McCain campaign did not really go for the evangelicals," Lane, founder of the American Renewal Project, told J.D. Hayworth, Miranda Khan and Republican strategist Ford O'Connell on "America's Forum" on
Newsmax TV on Wednesday.
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"I said at the time, if they'd picked Mike Huckabee, McCain would have been president. If Romney would have picked Mike Huckabee in '12, then Romney would have been president," he argued.
"McCain lost 2 million [more] evangelical voters than George W. Bush did in '04. Romney lost an additional 2 million voters in '12 than McCain lost in '08. So, he lost an additional 4 million from Bush in '04," he explained.
"Evangelicals have not engaged at this point," Lane said.
"I agree with [Texas Sen.] Ted Cruz's position, which is of the estimated 65 [million] to 80 million evangelical Christians who read their Bible, go to church, pray — half of them are not registered to vote and half of those don't vote," he added.
The founder of the American Renewal Project said that he has not endorsed any one candidate and that whether the Republican nominee in 2016 is Cruz, Huckabee, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, or Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, he's "going to give 100 percent as an honest broker."
Lane is currently on a mission to try to get pastors and clergy across the country to become more politically active,
The New York Times reported.
"My goal is to try to get the estimated 65 [million] to 80 million evangelical Christians in America to engage the culture," he told Newsmax.
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