Will Hawley's early devotion to the pro-life movement help him with evangelicals?

[Oakvale]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/07/us/politics/josh-hawley.html?

On campus, Mr. Hawley wrote columns for the conservative Stanford Review and was active in student ministry groups. He described his worldview in gauzy phrases like “a proper sense of shared citizenship,” but drew a clearer line on at least one issue. Above his bed he hung a sepia-toned poster of a shirtless male model cradling a newborn; when asked by classmates, he said it reflected his fervent stance against abortion. (The Hawley spokeswoman said the poster is “not something he remembers. But he’s proudly pro-life.”)

I've never been particularly impressed with Hawley, but it's a sign of real commitment to hang a poster of a shirtless, muscle-bound stud above your bed to signal your commitment to the pro-life cause. Could the Senator's early advocacy for beefcakes give him vital credibility among evangelical voters in Iowa and potentially lend his campaign early momentum with an upset victory in the caucuses?

Even if Trump, who has shown little interest in bodies that won't quit, runs, I think Hawley's clear connection with the religious right could boost his chances compared to other challengers. Granted, winning the nomination would be a slow, brutal grind but I wouldn't rule out the chances of a few early victories, massive press attention and a surprisingly easy cruise to the nomination.

[Oakvale]

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/01/19/josh-hawley-senator-stanford-history-capitol-insurrection-ambition-460481

More evidence of a commendable and honest adherence to the Christian values of propriety, modesty and self-control, even as a young man:

A classmate who was in the same study abroad cohort with Hawley at Oxford University in the fall of 2000, when they were juniors, recalls an incident that he says typified Hawley’s determination to maintain a “clean image.” While Hawley was sitting in a chair waiting for a house meeting to start, a female housemate came by and “jokingly tried to dance provocatively in front of him.” According to the classmate who relayed the story, Hawley immediately stood up and walked away, saying something like, “No, no, we’re not doing this.”

[Adam Griffin]

[Real Texan Politics]

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/01/19/josh-hawley-senator-stanford-history-capitol-insurrection-ambition-460481

More evidence of a commendable and honest adherence to the Christian values of propriety, modesty and self-control, even as a young man:

A classmate who was in the same study abroad cohort with Hawley at Oxford University in the fall of 2000, when they were juniors, recalls an incident that he says typified Hawley’s determination to maintain a “clean image.” While Hawley was sitting in a chair waiting for a house meeting to start, a female housemate came by and “jokingly tried to dance provocatively in front of him.” According to the classmate who relayed the story, Hawley immediately stood up and walked away, saying something like, “No, no, we’re not doing this.”

Based Hawley

[Agonized-Statism]

I know this is a joke post but I'll give it a serious answer. He's potentially the strongest fit for Evangelicals yet. The problem is that it's not 2000 anymore, and the religious right is nowhere near the force it was when he was planning his career. It will be more important for Hawley to cultivate his nationalist rhetoric to tap into the Midwest. The "Cultural Christianity" is a small boost with them and the alt-right, but the populism and racism are far more important to modern Republicans. His Christianity will serve only as an extension of white identity politics, rather than Christianity for Christianity's sake.

[Ancestral Republican]

Every hole is a goal.