Following an October 30 Colorado Media Matters item, the Fort Collins Coloradoan on November 2 reported that 4th Congressional District candidates “Marilyn Musgrave and Angie Paccione are both women of faith” and that “Paccione said she is an evangelical Christian.” The Coloradoan had omitted any reference to Paccione's faith in an October 29 article that quoted two voters in the town of Brush who said they were planning to vote for U.S. Rep. Musgrave (R-Fort Morgan) in part because Musgrave is “a Christian.” However, as an October 27 Rocky Mountain News article reported, Paccione “describes herself as a 'born-again, spirit-filled evangelical Christian.' ”

Following Colorado Media Matters' item, the November 2 article in the Coloradoan specifically mentioned Paccione's faith, noting that “Paccione speaks about her faith often.” The Coloradoan further reported:

She [Paccione] opened an Oct. 24 debate in Windsor by talking about becoming a “born-again, spirit-filled, evangelical Christian.” In the debate, she evoked the principle of redemption when alluding to filing for personal bankruptcy in 1992, a subject of Republican attack ads.

Yet, voters interviewed for this story were more aware of Musgrave's faith than Paccione's. Musgrave has earned some voters' support largely because of her Christian principles.

"(Musgrave's) a Christian and, for me, that's important," Jan Bjelland, 65, of Brush, told the Fort Collins Coloradoan recently.

The Coloradoan noted on November 2 that “Paccione said she is an evangelical Christian. Musgrave said she is a Christian but declined to be more specific.”

The Coloradoan also noted that Reform Party candidate “Eric Eidsness considers himself a Christian but isn't connected to a specific church.”

From the November 2 Fort Collins Coloradoan article by Kelli Lackett, “4th candidates put faith into their service”:

Marilyn Musgrave and Angie Paccione are both women of faith. Eric Eidsness considers himself a Christian but isn't connected to a specific church.

Until recently, the two major-party candidates for the 4th Congressional District attended churches in the same Pentecostal denomination, Assemblies of God.

But despite their common faith, Musgrave and Paccione have staked out divergent positions on the so-called “moral values” issues, including gay marriage and abortion, which were said to play an important role in the outcome of the 2004 election.

Just how important these issues will be this year among Colorado voters is unclear. Two ballot initiatives concerning marriage and gay rights in Colorado might get traditional “values voters” to the polls.

But some say that “moral values” have always been more diverse than pollsters recognize and that the war in Iraq trumps social issues among voters this year.

And Democrats of faith have been more vocal since the 2004 election about articulating moral issues that have drawn them to the Democratic Party.

“The Democratic Party does a better job of taking care of the poor, the sick, the elderly, people in need,” Paccione, the Democratic nominee, said. “That's part of the reason I'm a Democrat.”

Paccione said she is an evangelical Christian. Musgrave said she is a Christian but declined to be more specific.

[...]

Paccione speaks about her faith often. She opened an Oct. 24 debate in Windsor by talking about becoming a “born-again, spirit-filled, evangelical Christian.” In the debate, she evoked the principle of redemption when alluding to filing for personal bankruptcy in 1992, a subject of Republican attack ads.

Yet, voters interviewed for this story were more aware of Musgrave's faith than Paccione's. Musgrave has earned some voters' support largely because of her Christian principles.

"(Musgrave's) a Christian and, for me, that's important," Jan Bjelland, 65, of Brush, told the Fort Collins Coloradoan recently.