Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater will take a lead role for a group being announced this week called “Catholics for Romney.”

The group is being formed to address concerns that may arise on religious topics through the general election, Atwater said on Wednesday.

In the campaign role, Atwater will be expected to discuss Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s policy initiatives that address religious freedom.

Atwater said when he agreed to take on the campaign surrogate position there had been no talk about concerns raised among evangelicals over Romney’s Mormon faith.

“They approached me as someone they know as a statewide elected official, who is catholic, as to being available to speak on my comfort level on public policies and myself knowing the man’s character and his decision-making process,” Atwater said Wednesday. “It certainly wasn’t at all to address any concerns.”

Mormons view themselves as Christian, but not all evangelicals.

Romney may have sought to ease concerns from the evangelicals through the selection of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as a running mate.
Ryan is Catholic.

David Brody, chief political correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network, told the Washington Post that some evangelicals claim Ryan as one of their own as he is a “’dedicated pro-life, true blue conservative’; is a Tea Party evangelical, too, because he stands for the movement's agenda of ‘fiscal austerity and social conservatism.’"

In an interview with Cathedral Age magazine, Romney argued that too many have taken too far the Founding Fathers’ efforts to detach government from involvement in religious faith.

"They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God," Romney responded to the magazine. "Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life.

"The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square."

Atwater’s taking a more prominent role as the campaign moves into company with other members of the state Cabinet.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has been on the campaign trail with Romney, even rumored at one time as a potential vice presidential pick, and continues to stomp at “Women for Mitt" rallies.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam has been tapped for Romney’s Farmers and Ranchers for Romney's coalition.

Romney had supported Atwater in the 2010 chief financial officer contest. Atwater endorsed Romney last October as the primary was heating up.



Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.