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What do South Carolina, Nevada primary candidates believe? Check RNS' 5 Faith Facts series

(RNS) These states are very different than deeply evangelical Iowa or New Hampshire where nones outnumbered Conservative Christians.
What do South Carolina, Nevada primary candidates believe? Check RNS’ 5 Faith Facts series
Top: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton (rear) applauds his wife, Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, as they appear with their daughter Chelsea (R) at Mrs. Clinton's caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa on February 1, 2016. Photo courtesy of REUTERS/Adrees Latif, Bottom: U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders raises as fist as he speaks at his caucus night rally Des Moines, Iowa on February 1, 2016, Photo courtesy of REUTERS/Rick Wilking
Cathy Lynn Grossman

(RNS) The candidates who survived New Hampshire (say goodbye to Carly Fiorna and Gov. Chris Christie) are heading into the latest round of debates with their eyes firmly focused on the upcoming South Carolina and Nevada primaries.

Sen.Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio may revive the callout to the faithful that worked well for them in Iowa with an eye to South Carolina’s high percentage of evangelical Christians.

But even candidates who haven’t made religion a focal point of their campaigns — former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and GOP front-runner Donald Trump — still worked some appeal to God and spiritual impulses in their speeches on Tuesday (Feb. 9) in the Granite State.


Sen. Bernie Sanders, an irreligious Jew with spiritual impulses, left out God but still make a moral plea in his N.H.victory speech:

So what do the front-runners believe? The RNS series 5 Faith Facts offers the religious background for the leading candidates for each party’s nomination for the 2016 presidential election. Find them here, in alphabetical order.

REPUBLICANS

Former Gov. Jeb Bush: 5 faith facts about Jeb Bush: Catholicism ‘resonated with me’

Ben Carson: 5 faith facts about Ben Carson: Retired neurosurgeon, Seventh-day Adventist

Sen. Ted Cruz: 5 faith facts about Sen. Ted Cruz: It’s all about God’s work

Gov. John Kasich: 5 faith facts about Gov. John Kasich: ‘God is with me wherever I happen to be’

Sen. Rand Paul: Five faith facts about Rand Paul: ‘My faith has never been easy for me’

Sen. Marco Rubio: 5 faith facts about Marco Rubio: ‘Once a Catholic always a Catholic’

Donald Trump: 5 faith facts about Donald Trump: A Presbyterian who collects Bibles

DEMOCRATS

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: 5 faith facts about Hillary Clinton: Social gospel Methodist to the core

Sen. Bernie Sanders: 5 faith facts about Bernie Sanders: Unabashedly irreligious

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