Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly . INTERVIEW . Mara Vanderslice . November 12, 2004

Read more of Kim Lawton's Nov. 10, 2004 interview with Kerry campaign director of religious outreach Mara Vanderslice:

I was hired by the Kerry campaign in April to come on and to lead our efforts to reach out to people in the faith community for the presidential campaign. So I worked on the national level from the DC office, and under my purview was reaching out to -- it was an interfaith program. We worked with Muslims, some in the Jewish community, but primarily focused on the Christian and Catholic communities for our outreach efforts.

We created a Web site. We created a whole program of People of Faith for Kerry/Edwards, and I think our biggest role and our greatest success was creating a place at the table in the campaign and really beginning to open up the doors in the party for people of deep religious faith to feel that they could express their values by voting for John Kerry and John Edwards. We had a tremendous amount of energy and involvement in our programs by the end of the campaign. We first started -- we created the Web space so people could sign up and find information that would resonate with the faith community about the campaign there on the site. We started People of Faith for Kerry/Edwards groups all across the country. Our groups did service projects; they held house parties in their homes, prayer potlucks where they invited people in from their community to come together, have a thoughtful time of prayer, have a discussion about what was at stake in the election and why their faith informed their decision to vote for Kerry and Edwards. We also did a lot of consulting with the campaign staff on language, working on the senator's speeches and that kind of thing, but really the tremendous effort was realizing the folks in the grassroots and providing a space for them to get involved in the campaign. And it was tremendous. I mean, when I started we didn't have any lists to start with; it was the first time that a Democratic presidential campaign had hired someone to do this. And so by the end of the campaign we had close to 5,000 people participating and volunteering for us. We had more than 100 letters to the editor published all around the country, of Christians and Catholics and Muslims saying, you know, "My values, my deep religious faith leads me to vote for Kerry and Edwards." And we got dozens of op-eds published. Hundreds of gatherings took place around the country where people came together, united in this effort. So really, we think it was a tremendous beginning, and I hope the Democrats will continue to understand the energy that's out there in the faith community, to find a place at the table in this party.

Photo of Vanderslice and Kerry

The real goal of our programs was to provide a space in the campaign for people whose faith calls them to justice: to love mercy; to promote the common good; to never forget the least among us -- those Jesus called us to serve, those who are sick and poor, those in prison. People in the faith community have so long been told that only one party represents their religious and moral values. But what we were finding is that there are thousands of people, maybe millions of people in the country [who] believe that the values the Democratic Party espouses [are] much more in line with biblical and Gospel teachings. So we said that the Kerry and Edwards campaign represents people's values -- their Christian values of putting the poor and the middle class first, of not rushing into preemptive war that's based on false information. You know, providing for the common good. So we really felt that the campaign, for many, many people whose faith calls them to do justice and love mercy, was a better expression of their faith in the public realm. That's what we were really trying to provide, and those are the kinds of people that were attracted into the campaign.

I think it was very new in many ways for Democratic political operatives, and because of the newness, I think, it was slow going. You know, we've always done a great job of reaching out into the African-American church communities, and administrations -- White Houses -- have always had liaisons with the faith community. But in a political campaign it was a new thing, and so there was some timidity around the language, around how to proceed. It was very new. But again, I think the effort was a tremendous beginning, and we barely scratched the surface. I mean, when we finally got our organizers out on the ground -- by the end of the campaign we had full-time organizers in five of the key battleground states. And people out in the country said, "Where have you been? We've been waiting for you." We got out there with our buttons and our bumper stickers; people just ate them up with our values brochures that really displayed the issues of the Kerry campaign in biblical and values language that people resonate with. And they said to us, you know, "Where have you been?" And they were just getting engaged. The momentum was tremendous. It was a slow start, it was very new -- it's still new to many political operatives in the Democratic Party. But I hope, if we've been able to show anything, we've shown that there's a current out there, there's a longing, a hungering for people to find their religious and moral voice as Democrats. So I hope that the party leadership will really learn from this experience and begin to invest the resources that are really needed to make this a long-term program.

Photo of MARA VANDERSLICE

We wanted to start slowly. It was a new thing for everyone, but by the end we just accomplished a tremendous amount. I take great pride in what we did and am very proud [of] the team of people that we worked with, and I think we've really pioneered a new direction for the Democrats. In my mind, when you're building that new path, going through the brush, it's slow going. But I felt that every day we were getting in there, we were raising the importance of these issues, and we were making a greater and greater space for people of faith at the table, and I just only can hope that we've cracked open that door now, and soon the party will see we need to let [in] the whole flood of these religious people that want a place at the table in the Democratic Party. They're longing for candidates to speak to them with authenticity, to speak out of moral principle and values that they can relate to. And the Democrats are the party that wants to stand up for the least among us, for the orphan, for the sick. We have so much to offer the country with our policies, but we need to stop talking about them just as policies. We need to ground them in the moral principles that the people are looking for.

Even by the end of the campaign, people in a very friendly way would call me "the church lady." When I was out in Michigan for the final weeks of the campaign, people would say, "Now here's an update from the church lady." But I think what we really did in the time that I started from the Kerry campaign until the end was build up a great deal of respect and credibility for what we were trying to say and get accomplished. And I think that even since the election, the party leadership has seen the truth in what we were saying all along, and maybe even more so than before. By the end of the campaign, Senator Kerry had delivered a number of very moving speeches, both in churches and out, where he really began to reference and tap his deep faith that was grounded in Catholic social teaching. One of the most, I think, memorable moments of the whole campaign was when he delivered that speech in Broward County in Florida. He quoted from James; he quoted from Matthew 25. People said that it was one of the most emotional and sincere moments in the campaign when he really opened up. I think we've learned that people are hungering to know what grounds us. What grounds the candidates that the party might put forward? Where does their character come from? What principles do they hold dear that will guide them as they make decisions to lead forward our country? By the end of the campaign I just felt that we had made a tremendous amount of progress, and there was a great, great deal of understanding of the importance of what we need to do moving forward.

We would have loved to see more happen earlier. But again, this was a tremendous effort for the Democrats to undertake. It was brand new, and we absolutely have to build on it. We absolutely have to build on it. I think the Democrats have so much to say to people in this country, but they need to find a way to express it in terms of moral and religious values that people can resonate with. If there's anything I can say to the Democrats moving forward, [it's that] we've just barely scratched the surface this time; there's so much energy out there for people in the religious community to have a space at the table. And we need to turn to Scripture, find inspiration from Scripture for the vision that we want to put forward for the common good. I was just reminded of a Scripture from Isaiah 65 when everyone's talking about, well, what ideas, what visions do Democrats have to offer? It says God will create a new heaven and a new earth. We want to build a world where, you know, no more will an infant live only a couple days. No more will an old person not live out their entire lifetime. No more shall people build houses that they don't inhabit or plant vineyards that they don't eat the fruit. No more shall they labor in vain. I mean, the ideas and the visions that are expressed in Scripture -- I think we can draw on that as we share with the American people where Democrats would like to bring our country.

The biggest lesson we learned is the amount of energy out there for a moral voice of faith within the Democratic Party. We need to expand on that. I think the Democratic Party should create a faith and values center. They should have full-time staff that will cultivate these relationships for the long term. I think we learned that people connect with candidates when they speak personally from their faith and from the principles that ground their vision and their leadership. I think we've learned that there's so much out there waiting for us that we haven't even tapped into yet. But it won't be enough for Democrats just to wear the clothing of faith. There needs to be a long-term engagement with the religious community and an investment in building infrastructure, in building the grassroots, in reaching out to religious leaders and to religious people. That long-term investment is going to be essential, and I hope that the party leadership will begin to understand the importance of that and the energy that's there for us. These are our people. The Democratic Party is made up of religious people and people of faith, and we've been longing for a way to be able to express our deepest core values -- the values that compel us to be involved in politics from a place of faith, because that's where we're coming from. I also hope that Democratic candidates will learn in the future that the American public is hungering to know who they are as a person. What is their character? What are the principles that drive their leadership, their vision for where they want to take us, where they want to take our country? People want to hear about how their faith and values inform their politics. The most authentic moments we had in the campaign were those moments when Senator Kerry spoke from that deep place of faith. People are hungering for authenticity in politics right now, and I believe if Democratic candidates allow themselves the space to speak from that deep moral place that guides our actions and our involvement in public service, we'll find the public hungering to come join us in the vision of where we'd like to take the country.

Photo of Sisters for Kerry

I think that the "moral values" term has become code in some ways for a certain set of conservative values. We really have an obligation now, I think, as progressive people in the faith community, deeply grounded in religious values and moral values that we would like to put forward. Many people saw the unjust war in Iraq as a moral issue. Many people see 5 million people falling into poverty the last four years of this administration as a moral issue. It's our responsibility as Democrats to broaden the definition of the conversation about morality in this country. I believe that once we begin to engage in that more as a party, we'll see people's understanding of what moral values are expand and understand that those people who voted for us also see the issues upon which they voted as moral issues. But [they] didn't define it that way because of this narrow definition that we have right now.

The impulses that some have to say the Democrats need to moderate or run to the center -- this election says that is absolutely wrong. I think what we need to do is to stand up in an even stronger and more principled way for the things that we believe in. I'm reminded of a quotation from Scripture, from Revelation, that says, "Either be hot or cold, but if you're lukewarm I'll spit you out of my mouth." I think Democrats have had the trouble in the past of being lukewarm. We haven't stood up strongly enough about the vision that we have for the country, about pushing for a family living wage. It's just not right to have people that are working hard, playing by the rules, living in poverty in this country. I believe the issues that we want to push forward in the country the vast majority of Americans would support. But we've had trouble, I think, in communicating that.

The Republican Party and the right wing in this country have had a strategy of reaching out to Catholics, white Protestants, evangelicals going back for 20 years. The Democrats, if we're going to make up this gap, this "God gap," so called, we will need to invest, I think, in a long-term strategy in reaching out to these communities and ... listening to them, to giving them a seat at the table so that we can hear what their concerns are and can let them know that there's a place for them to be people of moral values, religious people, Christian people, and be Democrats. I also believe that the Democratic Party -- we really need to engage in a more thoughtful debate on the abortion issue in this country. I can't tell you how many times I had conversations with people of deep faith [who] said, "I support you [and] everything you are doing on every other issue except for this one." It is such a painful and divisive issue in this country, and we have, therefore, avoided it, I think, to a large extent. I don't think that does service for us. I believe that we need to work across our differences to find ways to reduce unwanted pregnancies. There are a million and a half abortions every year in this country, and no one can feel that's a good place for us to be. But we need to support the programs that we know reduce the need for abortions. Abortion rates went down to their lowest levels in 25 years under President Clinton; abortion rates went up under President Reagan. We need to work together to support the programs that will help women choose life, and I think we need to be open to a new dialogue on this issue.

We need to hear everyone's concerns. The African-American church community has been an active base within the Democratic Party, you know, throughout our history, and we continue to listen to their voices and to hear the concerns that they have, and I think that they raised concerns about [gay marriage] throughout the campaign. I think that dialogue is there, and it needs to continue, so absolutely, I think the more we can have those conversations, have that dialogue, the better.

Photo of MARA VANDERSLICE

I had heard that [the Republicans] had at least 10 staff people in many of the key battleground states, paid staff people working on reaching out to the religious community. So they have made a tremendous effort to do this over many years. If the Democrats want to regain that ground -- I believe that we can -- we need to make similar efforts to do so. In the states where we had organizers on the ground by the end of the election, we pioneered a number of strategies that really worked and really made a big difference. So I believe that it is a matter of investing the time and the resources to do it. I think people are hungering to hear what we have to say to them in terms of the values and the concerns that they have, and to speak to them from a principled place of faith. And when we begin to do that in a more effective way, in a stronger way -- more people on the ground -- I think we'll see the numbers coming back toward our side.

For the final weeks of the campaign, I was in the battleground state of Michigan. And there we pioneered a specific Catholic outreach strategy that I thought had tremendous success. We did a direct mail piece to undecided Catholic voters, more than 100,000 households. We had canvassing efforts in heavily Catholic neighborhoods. We had phone banks of women religious, of Catholic nuns who would actually call undecided Catholic voters and say, "This is Sister Rita Mary, and I'm calling with the Kerry campaign. This is why he shares my values." We did a real concerted effort to get people out on radio, letters to the editor, op-eds. Even Bishop [Thomas] Gumbleton there of the Catholic diocese had done a wonderful op-ed piece. And what we found was the receptivity was tremendous. I mean, people were just pouring into our office to be part of the Catholic outreach, and we ended up winning the Catholic vote in Michigan. What we really proved is that when the effort is put out on the ground and we don't ignore these constituencies, the tremendous efforts bring them to our side. So those outreach efforts are vital. They're necessary. And I hope that the Democratic Party will see the successes that we did have during this campaign and begin to build on them.

Political campaigns are tough. I mean, they are tough. But I loved it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. There is nothing like the energy and the urgency of a political campaign. I was inspired every day I was there by the people at the grassroots who would say, "Thank you so much for being there. Thank you for being a voice on the phone that I can call to and say, 'People in my church are praying for me because I'm voting for John Kerry.'" Those stories out there of people that have been hungering to have a place as Christians at the table in this party -- that was enough to keep me through all the challenges that we faced.

Someone had forwarded [it] to me when the Catholic League put their release out. I remember the title said, "John Kerry's Religious Outreach Director Is a Real Gem." Naively, I actually thought maybe it was going to be someone saying nice things about what we were doing. But, you know, I didn't take it personally. I think the religious Right would have attacked anyone who signed up for this responsibility, for this position. They believe that this is their territory, and they would have attacked anyone in the party that was stepping out to bring religious people into the party. It just showed how threatened they would be if the Democrats really started to make this a priority. I never took it personally, those crazy, you know -- they were outrageous claims. You just sometimes have to look at that stuff and laugh and say, you know, politics -- it is hardball. But I never let it stop me from the tremendous efforts that we [made] every single day to be there on the other end of the phone, to be there responding to people's e-mails and building those grassroots networks. I've learned a lot, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

We had an amazing team of people that I worked with, and a great deal of support from the outside. There were so many people that had waited so long for the Democrats to begin to take the faith community more seriously that I felt there was a great deal of support around me throughout those months, and I believe that people, maybe even more so after the election, are excited to build upon what we started. There were days when you['d] wake up in the morning and feel that you're the only person who knows what you're going through, but I can't express how grateful I am and how blessed I am by the people who supported me through this journey.

You don't get what you don't work for, and we really proved when we made an effort that people in the faith community would come to our side and come to see that, you know, our vision of promoting the common good -- that we share their values. But we have to make the investment on the staff level, in the state parties, in the infrastructure to reach out to these communities and to build up a network. We started with no lists, with no infrastructure to reach out to the faith community for the Democratic Party, and we've really started to create one now. So I hope that everything we've built up over this campaign won't get lost -- that it will get built upon in glorious ways. I think the biggest thing I'd like [to say] to encourage everyone is, this needs to be a long-term effort if we're thinking about Senate races, midterm elections, even the next presidential cycle; we need to start building this outreach on the ground now.

Photo of MARA VANDERSLICE

I've never been more on fire for the work that I'm doing. I hope that I'll find a way to continue to pioneer this path for the Democrats. I'd love to be involved in continuing to build up the voices of faith in the party and providing the training and infrastructure on the ground to state parties, to future candidates, to reach out to these constituencies, because I just believe that the religious community can be the conscience and the soul of the Democratic Party, and the more we bring that back in, I believe, the stronger our party will be, the better we'll be able to represent our positive vision for the future, and I think it'll help us start winning elections again. So I'm very excited to continue this work.

You learn the power of prayer, I think, first off. When I was in college, one of the first things I did was to travel to Colombia, to Latin America, and I was confronted face on with desperate poverty. I searched around in college to find the answer to that, and through the Intervarsity campus ministry on my campus and through doing Bible study every week, I found Christ. Anyone who shares the experience that I share of really having been, and I use this language comfortably, to say that, you know, I felt born again; I accepted Jesus into my life, and when you make the decision to do that, you're just filled with so much joy and so much love, and I wanted to give that back. And for me, I see the teachings of Christ really summed up in that passage in Matthew 25 where Jesus said this is how the nations will be judged -- by how you care for the sick, how you care for the poor, how you care for the least among us. To me, my decision to follow Jesus Christ has to impact every single part of my life, including how I want to act in the public sphere and the kind of government policies I want to see and the kinds of community and country I want to live in. So, to me, there can be nothing more honorable than trying to live out that care and concern for those whom Jesus spent time with and loved and cared for. And I just believe that the Democratic Party knows and has the vision and the way forward to move to help the poor and the vulnerable and to promote the common good. For me, there is a real, direct connection between being a Christian, between my values and my political engagement.

I can only say that I am strengthened in my faith and in my resolve. As John Kerry said, quoting John Kennedy, "God's work must truly be our own." It must truly be our own. I just feel reassured in my own faith and my own commitment to live that faith out through public engagement.