Ohio Restoration Project Seeks To Recruit Evangelical Voters

In a long story today, the Cleveland Jewish News reports on the fundamentalist Christian Ohio Restoration Project. ORP plans to recruit 2000 "Patriot Pastors" to get out the evangelical vote in Ohio's May 2006 primary. ORP leader Rev. Russell Johnson says of the upcoming primary: "This is a battle between the forces of righteousness and the hordes of hell." The paper reports that there will be Patriot Pastor policy briefings in eight Ohio cities. ORP seeks to have pastors host voter-registration drives in their churches, and distribute voter guides from the Christian Coalition and the Center for Moral Clarity to "clarify the positions of various candidates, who at times, would like to remain vague and noncommittal." As reported in a previous posting, the ORP's planned Ohio for Jesus rally will be promoted through radio ads featuring Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican candidate for governor supported by ORP.