New online resource features survey data, religious biographies and stances on key issues

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life today unveiled Religion & Politics ’08—a new online resource that features survey findings and religious biographies for both parties’ major presidential candidates.

A unique feature also allows users to compare summaries of the candidates’ positions on a dozen values-laden issues, such as abortion, gay marriage and the Iraq war.

“Religion has already become a major issue in news coverage and discussions about the next presidential election,” says Pew Forum Director Luis Lugo. “Our goal is to provide up-to-date, reliable and impartial information on religion and the 2008 elections.”

To help launch Religion & Politics ’08, Pew Forum Senior Fellow John Green analyzes a recent Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey revealing presidential preferences, at this stage of the campaign, of white evangelical Republicans, white non-Hispanic Catholics and white mainline Protestants.

Religion & Politics ’08 debuts with profiles of three Democrats (Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama) and three Republicans (Rudolph Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney). Additional candidate profiles will be forthcoming.