Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/in-iowa-gop-candidates-tout-conservative-values Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript In the second of a series of reports on the tightening presidential race in Iowa as the state's Jan. 3 caucus grows closer, Ray Suarez looks at how Republican candidates are focusing their efforts on courting conservative voters in the state. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. GWEN IFILL: Now, the second of our reports on furious pre-holiday campaigning in Iowa. Judy Woodruff reported on the Democrats on Friday. Today, Ray Suarez has the Republicans. RAY SUAREZ: When former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee blew into Iowa last week, he faced a complicated task. As money, volunteers and suddenly attention all came his way, he had to hold on to a newly solidifying lead in Iowa and run in the cascade of primary states that follow just days after Iowa.About the same time last week, an article from yesterday's New York Times magazine hit the Web site. Reporter Zev Chafets recounted a recent conversation with Huckabee, an ordained Baptist preacher, in which he asked of Mormonism, "Don't Mormons believe Jesus and the devil are brothers?"Controversy followed. Was it an attempt to remind Iowa voters of Romney's Mormon religion, a shot at the Latter Day Saints Church? Huckabee's explanation was more benign.FORMER GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE (R), Arkansas: He was asking me about the whole issue of my faith, and then it drifted to, what do I think about Mormonism? I said, "I don't want to talk about somebody else's faith." He was saying, "But there are some different things about Mormonism." He obviously knew more about it than I did.In the course of that conversation, honestly, I raised the question, I asked, "Is this part of their beliefs?" The next thing I know — I mean, it was in the story. It was even quoted in the story as an innocent question, but no one believed it was an innocent question. They thought I was trying to throw something out there. I was horrified when I read that. RAY SUAREZ: The two former governors shared the stage at the first Republican debate in Iowa since summer, and Huckabee says he sought out the Massachusetts governor right after. MIKE HUCKABEE: I apologized to Mitt Romney, because, first of all, I don't think his being a Mormon or not being a Mormon has a thing to do with his being president. And I would never say that a person should vote for or against anybody because they're of any faith. I don't think people ought to vote for or against me because I'm a Baptist. RAY SUAREZ: For his part, Governor Romney acknowledged the Huckabee apology and moved on.FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY (R), Massachusetts: He said that he wanted to apologize for the statements that had been made, and I said, "Apology accepted." Pretty much that. That's it.