{"id":74376,"date":"2008-11-04T13:00:32","date_gmt":"2008-11-04T18:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2008\/11\/04\/13558\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:13:52","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:13:52","slug":"13558","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2008\/11\/04\/13558\/","title":{"rendered":"Religion and Politics \u201908: Sam Brownback"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"mccain_profile_large(1)\"<\/figure>\n\n

Background<\/h2>\n\n
\n

Hometown<\/strong>\nParker, Kan.<\/p>\n

Age<\/strong>\n53<\/p>\n

Religion<\/strong>\nRoman Catholic<\/p>\n

Education<\/strong>\nUniversity of Kansas, J.D., 1982 Kansas State University, B.A., 1979<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Candidate Website<\/strong>\nwww.brownback.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Candidacy Status<\/strong>\nFormally withdrew candidacy Oct. 19, 2007. Endorsed candidacy of John McCain, Nov. 7, 2007.<\/p>\n

Political Experience<\/strong>\nU.S. Senator from Kansas, 1997-present U.S. Representative from Kansas, 1995-1996 White House Fellow detailed to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 1990-1991 Kansas Secretary of Agriculture, 1986-1993<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Professional Experience<\/strong>\nAttorney, Manhattan, Kan., 1982-1986<\/p>\n

Family Information<\/strong>\nSpouse: Mary Stauffer Brownback\nChildren: Elizabeth Brownback, Andy Brownback, Abby Brownback, Mark Brownback, Jenna Brownback<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

<\/div>\n\n

Religious Biography<\/h2>\n\n
\n

In His Own Words<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It’s hard to understand Americans without understanding faith. A country that walks away from God walks away from its own future. This is something that unites the country. It does not divide.” (Interview, March 2007<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

Brownback grew up attending a\u00a0United Methodist<\/a>\u00a0congregation \u2013 the only church in Parker, Kan. \u2013 and continued to attend mainline churches until a series of events rerouted his religious journey. He says a\u00a0pivotal moment<\/a>\u00a0came in 1995 when he was diagnosed with cancer and had surgery to remove a tumor, prompting him to trust God “a lot more<\/a>.” Attracted by youth programs for their five children, the Brownbacks\u00a0began<\/a>attending the nondenominational and evangelical\u00a0Topeka Bible Church<\/a>\u00a0in 2001. At the same time, Brownback was in the midst of several years of study and prayer about\u00a0Roman Catholicism<\/a>. Feeling a “real deep calling<\/a>,” he\u00a0converted<\/a>to Catholicism in 2002, even through his family did not. Brownback currently\u00a0attends<\/a>\u00a0Mass early each Sunday before joining his family at Topeka Bible Church. Brownback says his fight with cancer also drove him to literally\u00a0burn<\/a>\u00a0his resume and\u00a0start<\/a>\u00a0focusing on political issues such as poverty, AIDS in Africa, human trafficking and race relations. He began to model his political life after\u00a0William Wilberforce<\/a>, an early 19th-century evangelical and member of the British Parliament. In March 2006,\u00a0The Economist<\/i>dubbed<\/a>\u00a0Brownback the “Wilberforce Republican.” Brownback\u00a0chairs<\/a>\u00a0weekly meetings of the Values Action Team, a group of representatives from 30 to 40 socially conservative political organizations, such as the Family Research Council and the Christian Coalition. He is also\u00a0active<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0The Fellowship<\/a>, a secretive religious network dedicated to working behind the scenes to influence current events. Brownback participates in a weekly “prayer cell” that includes other members of Congress, and at one point he\u00a0lived<\/a>\u00a0with several congressmen in a Capitol Hill townhouse subsidized by The Fellowship. If nominated, Brownback would be the fourth Roman Catholic to win a presidential nomination and the first Catholic Republican to do so. If elected, he would be the second Catholic president, following John F. Kennedy.<\/p>\n\n

On The Issues<\/h2>\n\n

Abortion\u00a0<\/strong>Brownback has referred to abortion as “a holocaust<\/a>” and often compares it to\u00a0slavery<\/a>. Hesays<\/a>Roe v. Wade<\/i>\u00a0should be overturned and has sponsored or cosponsored several anti-abortionSenate bills<\/a>, including the\u00a0Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act<\/a>, the\u00a0Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act<\/a>and the\u00a0Unborn Victims of Violence Act<\/a>.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Church and State\u00a0<\/strong>Brownback has\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0America needs to “stop driving God out of the public square.” He supports allowing religious expression on public property, including nativity displays. He introduced thePublic Expressions of Religion Act<\/a>, which required “activist groups” to pay their own legal fees when winning cases related to public displays of faith; Brownback said the bill “would prevent local cities and towns from being coerced into settling claims out of a fear of huge monetary losses.” Brownback cosponsored the 2005\u00a0Constitution Restoration Act<\/a>, which would have limited the power of federal courts to rule on church-state issues.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n\n
Death Penalty\u00a0<\/strong>Brownback\u00a0opposes<\/a>\u00a0the death penalty except in rare, extreme cases. He has\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0that the Constitution does not mandate or prohibit the use of the death penalty\u00a0but that<\/a>\u00a0“if we’re trying to establish a culture of life, it’s difficult to have the state sponsoring executions.”\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n\n
Education\u00a0<\/strong>Brownback\u00a0proposed<\/a>\u00a0expanding a school voucher program in Washington, D.C., that allows students to attend private schools, including religious schools, with public money. He\u00a0favors<\/a>\u00a0a constitutional amendment allowing school prayer and\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0intelligent design should be taught along with evolution in public schools. He cosponsored legislation affirming the inclusion of the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance,\u00a0saying<\/a>, “There is nothing more American than the Pledge of Allegiance, and an acknowledgement of God is at the heart of our founding principles and is our nation’s motto.”\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n\n
Environment\u00a0<\/strong>Brownback has\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0Americans must recognize climate change and called for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. He has\u00a0promoted<\/a>\u00a0farm conservation practices as a method of combating global warming but opposes the Kyoto Treaty. Brownback voted\u00a0against<\/a>\u00a0legislation in 2003 that called for research on abrupt climate change and for a market-based system of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n\n
Faith-Based Initiatives\u00a0<\/strong>Brownback\u00a0supports<\/a>\u00a0President Bush’s faith-based initiative, calling it “a common-sense way to encourage the miraculous work of many highly effective faith-based charities.” Brownback regularly\u00a0visits<\/a>\u00a0and even spends the night with prison inmates taking part in a faith-based reform program in his home state of Kansas.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n\n
Gay Marriage\u00a0<\/strong>Brownback has\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0that marriage is “the union of one man and one woman” and called on Americans to “defend the institution of marriage by defending the definition of marriage.” He\u00a0supported<\/a>\u00a0a federal amendment to ban same-sex marriage and has vowed to continue pushing the issue “until marriage between a man and a woman is protected.”\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n\n
Health Care\u00a0<\/strong>Brownback\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0America needs “market-based solutions, not government-run health care.” Headvocates<\/a>\u00a0market regulations that he says would create competition and result in lower insurance costs for the uninsured. He also supports giving Americans control over their medical records, allowing small-business owners and others to form insurance-purchasing pools and making health care more affordable.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n\n
Immigration\u00a0<\/strong>Brownback\u00a0supported<\/a>\u00a0a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the Senate, which was designed to strengthen border security, crack down on employers who hire undocumented workers, establish a guest-worker program and create a path to citizenship for those already in the United States. He has\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0that America’s agricultural industry needs more low-wage, low-skill workers and that the country must simplify its immigration process while preventing criminals from entering the country.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n\n
Iraq War\u00a0<\/strong>Brownback\u00a0voted in favor<\/a>\u00a0of the 2002 invasion of Iraq. He says he still supports American involvement, calling Iraq the “key front in the war on terror.” He has expressed\u00a0support<\/a>\u00a0for a federated system in Iraq consisting of three states \u2013 a Sunni area, a Shiite area and a Kurdish area \u2013 and with Baghdad as a federal city. Brownback opposed the January 2007 troop surge, saying that “Iraq requires a political rather than a military solution.” He also\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0the U.S. should transfer responsibility to Iraqis gradually and without set timetables.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n\n
Poverty\u00a0<\/strong>Brownback\u00a0voted for<\/a>\u00a0the 1996 welfare reform bill that required more work for recipients and placed limits on the amount of time they could receive benefits. He\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0poverty can best be addressed by welfare policy that encourages people to get married, to get a job and not to have children out of wedlock. He has\u00a0promoted<\/a>\u00a0a “marriage development account program” to help married couples get training, buy a car, get an education or purchase a house. Brownback has\u00a0voted against<\/a>increasing the minimum wage.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n\n
Stem Cell Research\u00a0<\/strong>Brownback\u00a0opposes<\/a>\u00a0all research on embryonic stem cells but\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0the government should fund research that uses adult stem cells. He voted\u00a0against<\/a>\u00a0the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, which would have allowed federal funding to be used for research on embryonic stem cells. He also\u00a0appeared<\/a>\u00a0with three children who were adopted as frozen embryos, saying, “It is immoral to destroy the youngest of human lives for research purposes.”\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Background Hometown Parker, Kan. Age 53 Religion Roman Catholic Education University of Kansas, J.D., 1982 Kansas State University, B.A., 1979 Candidate Website www.brownback.com Candidacy Status Formally withdrew candidacy Oct. 19, 2007. Endorsed candidacy of John McCain, Nov. 7, 2007. Political Experience U.S. Senator from Kansas, 1997-present U.S. Representative from Kansas, 1995-1996 White House Fellow detailed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":false,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[46,24,39],"tags":[],"bylines":[],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[],"research-teams":[517],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-74376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-election-2008","category-religion","category-us-elections-voters","formats-report","research-teams-religion"],"label":false,"post_parent":0,"word_count":1315,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2008\/11\/04\/13558\/","art_direction":false,"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"report_materials":"","report_pagination":{"current_post":null,"next_post":null,"previous_post":null,"pagination_items":[]},"parent_info":{"parent_title":"Religion and Politics \u201908: Sam Brownback","parent_id":74376},"materialsOrdered":[],"chaptersOrdered":[],"partsOrdered":[],"partsEnabled":false,"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"Religion and Politics \u201908: Sam Brownback","description":"Background Hometown Parker, Kan. 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