Obama, meanwhile, is trying to widen his base of support: On Tuesday, he held a 2-1/2-hour, off-the-record meeting with Christian leaders.
Bishop T.D. Jakes, pastor of a Dallas megachurch, said the group discussed issues ranging from gay marriage and the Iraq war to abortion.
The group included Jakes; Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham; Richard Cizik of the National Association of Evangelicals; author and pastor Max Lucado; David Neff of Christianity Today; and others, sources said.
Jakes said Obama discussed his “personal journey of faith.” He said the meeting seemed designed to prompt discussion, rather than to gain commitments from either Obama or those attending.
Cizik said the issues discussed Tuesday included “protecting the traditional family, same-sex marriage, gay rights, religious freedom, genocide, poverty and hunger in America, and how we might even improve America’s standing in the world.”
Some people familiar with the meeting said some participants agreed to attend only because it would be private.