One's reborn every minute: Carter's religious appeal in 1976

An analysis of Jimmy Carter's handling of religion in the 1976 presidential campaign demonstrates that Carter was aware of the potential advantage of emphasizing his religion. In fact, once he became aware of the advantage, he escalated his references to his religion while also attempting to mollify those turned off by his religiosity. The author concludes that Carter's decision to stress his religion was a conscious political decision and that that decision helped Carter win the presidency.