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There is little separating Oklahoma Republicans James Lankford and Kevin Calvey in their cultural conservatism: Both are vocally anti-abortion and opposed to gay marriage.
But as they head toward their Aug. 24 runoff for the 5th District seat of retiring GOP Rep. Mary Fallin, the men find themselves competing for different segments of a vote-rich Christian constituency.
Calvey, a former state representative who is Catholic, is trying to tap into evangelical support by presenting himself as a tried-and-true anti-abortion candidate. Calvey's website spotlights his endorsement from the anti-abortion Concerned Women for America and notes that during law school he interned with the National Right to Life Committee.
Those opposed to abortion rights are "a very important bloc of voters in the district," said Trebor Worthen, a Calvey consultant.
Lankford, meanwhile, has keyed into a wave of Southern Baptist support through his directorship of the Falls Creek summer camp, a prominent organization that bills itself as "the largest religious youth encampment in the world." The Oklahoma Republican has trumpeted his endorsements from prominent Southern Baptist political figures, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Oklahoma Rep. J.C. Watts and former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys.
A video on Lankford's website features Huckabee praising the candidate as a "reliable conservative who has incredible leadership experience outside of politics, and he's a man that's devoted to God, his family and the Constitution."
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