Yahoo News 
Jeb Bush insists he's all good with the Christian right
(AP)Jeb Bush insists he has a good relationship with the conservative Christian world.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) says he'll do just fine when it comes to evangelical Christian voters in the presidential race.
"I have a record as governor; I don't have to talk about things. I actually acted on my core beliefs both as it relates to traditional marriage, which I support, and the sanctity of life, which I acted on on numerous occasions," he told Fox News Channel's Brian Kilmeade during a radio interview on Thursday.
Bush was responding to a recent New York Times article detailing how evangelical Christian activists are "unhappy" with his expected White House bid and are looking for a suitable alternative as a potential Republican presidential nominee.
The article quotes major leaders in the conservative Christian movement, including Family Research Council head Tony Perkins, activist David Lane, and Gary Bauer, a former Reagan official who once led the Family Research Council himself. The three leaders said the conservative community is hoping to coalesce around a suitable candidate but they were not quoted explicitly criticizing the potential of Bush wining the GOP nomination.
For his part, Bush went out of his way to praise Perkins in his Thursday radio interview.
"Look, I have a lot of respect for Tony and his group. I talk to him, I have an open dialogue with him," he said.
At another point in the conversation, Bush said he doesn't even read The Times.
"I don't read The New York Times, to be honest with you," he said. (Some Times reporters were skeptical of that claim.)
Perkins issued a statement to deny that he was anti-Jeb.
He said, "I am not against Jeb. In fact, I've met with him, and there are several things I like about him. That said, what I'm looking for in a candidate is someone with the courage and the credentials who can and will pull the country back from the brink."
Bauer also distanced himself from the article's premise.
"I don't make statements that are Bush specific," he said. "I don't recall at any point characterizing efforts that are underway as being an attempt, being driven by being unhappy with Bush."
In the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is the only big name that has yet to formally launch a campaign. He has gone to great lengths to tap into the religious right, starting with his campaign kickoff Monday at Liberty University, a Christian school founded by the late conservative pastor Jerry Falwell.
Cruz's announcement was staged at the school's convocation service, where student attendance is mandatory, and was sandwiched between the crowd singing the Chris Tomlin worship song "Our God" and a prayer by David Nasser, the school's senior vice president for spiritual development who hailed Cruz as a "godly man."
Bush, who is Catholic, could be a tough sell to staunch conservative Christian voters due to his softer tone on some social issues like same-sex marriage. In an attempt to bridge the gap, Bush's super PAC, Right to Rise, brought on evangelical Christian legal advocate as an adviser in early March.
Sekulow did not respond to a request for comment about The Times article on Bush.
Updated (March 27, 3:00 p.m.): With statement from Tony Perkins.
NOW WATCH: Here's what it takes to be President Obama's right-hand man
More From Business Insider
