---
title: "Religion and Politics ’08: Mike Gravel"
description: "Background Hometown Springfield, Mass. Age 79 Religion Unitarian Universalist Education Columbia University, B.S., 1956 Candidate Website www.gravel2008.us Candidacy Status Formally announced candidacy on April 17, 2006 On March 26, 2008, Gravel announced his intention to join the Libertarian party and seek the Libertarian presidential nomination Political Experience U. S. Senator from Alaska, 1969-1981 Speaker of […]"
date: "2008-11-04"
authors:
  - name: "Benjamin Wormald"
    job_title: "Senior Engineer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/benjamin-wormald/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-mike-gravel/"
categories:
  - "Election 2008"
  - "Religion"
  - "U.S. Elections & Voters"
---

# Religion and Politics ’08: Mike Gravel

![gravel(1)](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2013/05/profile_large_gravel.jpg)

## Background

**Hometown** Springfield, Mass.

**Age** 79

**Religion** Unitarian Universalist

**Education** Columbia University, B.S., 1956

**Candidate Website** [www.gravel2008.us](http://www.gravel2008.us/)

**Candidacy Status** Formally announced candidacy on April 17, 2006 On March 26, 2008, Gravel announced his intention to join the Libertarian party and seek the Libertarian presidential nomination

**Political Experience** U. S. Senator from Alaska, 1969-1981 Speaker of Alaska House of Representatives, 1965-1966 Alaska State Representative, 1963-1966

**Professional Experience** Founder, The Democracy Foundation, 2001 Real estate developer in Alaska, 1980s U.S. Army, 1951-1954

**Family Information** Spouse: Whitney Steward Gravel Children: Martin Gravel and Lynne Gravel Mosier

## Religious Biography

**In His Own Words**

"I believe that faith – whatever denomination we choose – should improve us morally and ethically, and encourage our kindness and compassion for all people. It should not be a tool to condemn others, and should not politicize the beliefs of others." (Announcement of presidential candidacy, April 2006.)

Mike Gravel grew up as a Roman Catholic in a largely [Jewish neighborhood](http://www.pjvoice.com/v26/26300words.aspx) of Springfield, Mass. As a youth, he [attended French-speaking Catholic schools](http://www.gravel2008.us/bio). As an adult, he became a Unitarian. He describes the Unitarian tradition as one that "[accepts many paths to spiritual experience](http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2008/gravel/gravel041706spt.html)."

As a U.S. Senator from Alaska, Gravel relied on the[Unitarian Universalist Association](http://www.uua.org/) (UUA) publishing arm, [Beacon Press](http://www.beacon.org/), to publish "[The Senator Gravel Edition](http://www.beacon.org/client/pentagonpapers.cfm)" of*The Pentagon Papers* in 1971. The book, which made him a nationally recognized and controversial figure at the time, disclosed top secret Department of Defense studies that shed light on three decades of American involvement in Vietnam. At the book's launch, Gravel held a [press conference](http://archive.uua.org/news/2006/061020_pentagon.html) alongside then-UUA president, the Rev. Robert N. West.

As a presidential candidate, Gravel has [championed](http://www.gravel2008.us/issues) gay and lesbian rights, especially the right to marry; the UUA also firmly believes in that cause.

Though he disagrees with the Catholic Church's position on homosexuality, Gravel has not entirely turned his back on Catholic moral reasoning. In a 2001 examination of the [Vietnam War's moral legacy](http://www.gravel2008.us/files/vietnam.pdf), for example, he invoked "just war" principles from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to argue that the war had been immoral.

If elected president, Gravel would be the fifth Unitarian to occupy the White House.

## On The Issues

**Abortion **Gravel [supports *Roe v. Wade*](http://www.gravel2008.us/issues) and abortion rights, and he criticized the U.S. Supreme Court in April 2007 for upholding a ban on partial birth abortion, saying it's a procedure the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists deems medically necessary in certain cases. [Compare McCain and Obama](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-the-candidates-on-the-issues/)

**Church and State **Gravel has not taken a position on the federal government's proper role in maintaining separation of church and state, according to campaign press secretary Alex Colvin. [Compare McCain and Obama](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-the-candidates-on-the-issues/)

**Death Penalty **Gravel has said little about capital punishment on the campaign trail, but he called for abolition of the death penalty in his 1972 book, [*Citizen Power*](http://www.ontheissues.org/Archive/Citizen_Power_Mike_Gravel.htm). He still believes capital punishment should be outlawed, according to campaign press secretary Alex Colvin. [Compare McCain and Obama](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-the-candidates-on-the-issues/)

[by]

**Environment **Gravel aims to curtail global warming by imposing a [carbon tax](http://www.pjvoice.com/v26/26300words.aspx) on oil and coal. He also supports converting gasoline stations to hydrogen fueling stations within the coming decade. Although early in his political career he supported drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, he now opposes it. [Compare McCain and Obama](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-the-candidates-on-the-issues/)

**Faith-Based Initiatives **Gravel has not taken a position on faith-based initiatives, according to campaign press secretary Alex Colvin. [Compare McCain and Obama](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-the-candidates-on-the-issues/)

**Gay Marriage **Gravel [supports](http://www.gravel2008.us/issues) gay marriage and opposed the [Defense of Marriage Act](http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c104:H.R.3396.ENR:). He also supports domestic partner benefits for all Americans. In an open letter to the LGBT community, Gravel [wrote](http://www.queerty.com/news/exclusive-gravel-says-thanks-gays-20070716) that "depriving gays and lesbians of equal rights is immoral." He [marched](http://gravel2008.us/?q=node/1655) in San Francisco's 2007 Gay Pride Parade. In response to a questionnaire from Human Rights Campaign, a gay-rights advocacy group, Gravel said he believes U.S. citizens should be able to petition for [immigration sponsorship of same-sex partners](http://a4.g.akamai.net/f/4/19675/0/newmill.download.akamai.com/19677/anon.newmediamill/pdfs/gravel.pdf). [Compare McCain and Obama](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-the-candidates-on-the-issues/)

**Health Care **Gravel supports universal health care by means of a single-payer [voucher system](http://www.gravel2008.us/issues). Under his proposal, every American would receive vouchers according to his or her anticipated needs. People could use their vouchers with any physicians they choose. Gravel says: "A universal health-care voucher plan will also relieve American businesses of the financial responsibility of insuring their workers while ensuring that their workers get adequate care." [Compare McCain and Obama](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-the-candidates-on-the-issues/)

**Immigration **Gravel wants to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in order to reduce Mexican migration to the United States. According to Gravel's analysis, NAFTA has led to the loss of more than 1.3 million Mexican jobs, and NAFTA partners need to renegotiate in order to "[allow Mexican workers to remain in their motherland](http://www.gravel2008.us/issues)." [Compare McCain and Obama](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-the-candidates-on-the-issues/)

**Iraq War **Gravel opposed the invasion of Iraq and now [advocates](http://www.gravel2008.us/issues) a full withdrawal of troops within 120 days. In a November 2006 speech, Gravel [explained](http://gravel2008.us/?q=node/238): "There are Americans who say that by leaving Iraq, we would be saying that our soldiers died in vain. But the only thing worse than soldiers dying in vain is more soldiers dying in vain." He says coalition partners should assign reconstruction contracts to Iraqi companies, not American firms. Gravel also opposes sanctions as foreign policy tools; he says international sanctions against Saddam Hussein's Iraq led to the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children. [Compare McCain and Obama](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-the-candidates-on-the-issues/)

**Poverty **Gravel says America's [war on drugs must end](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/us/politics/29transcript.html?pagewanted=3&ei=5070&en=7f1be2411e985807&ex=1186286400) because it "does nothing but savage our inner cities and put our children at risk." Gravel proposes to help end poverty by creating a [progressive tax](http://www.theplainsman.com/node/2546) system in which consumers of new products would be taxed at a flat rate. This would encourage Americans to save, Gravel says. This proposed system would replace both the income tax and the Internal Revenue Service. [Compare McCain and Obama](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-the-candidates-on-the-issues/)

**Stem Cell Research **Gravel supports stem cell research as an important advance in health care. In a June 2006 interview for a blog, Gravel compared [stem cell research](http://www.bluestateobserver.com/2006/07/scones-with-senator.html) to research on human cadavers, which he says was once taboo but has yielded important discoveries. He says the government should not limit the advancement of science in the area of regenerative medicine, which includes embryonic stem cell research.Gravel supports stem cell research as an important advance in health care. In a June 2006 interview for a blog, Gravel compared [stem cell research](http://www.bluestateobserver.com/2006/07/scones-with-senator.html) to research on human cadavers, which he says was once taboo but has yielded important discoveries. He says the government should not limit the advancement of science in the area of regenerative medicine, which includes embryonic stem cell research.** **[Compare McCain and Obama](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-the-candidates-on-the-issues/)