In political memoirs, candidates share their faith and moral beliefs

Writing a book has long been a rite of passage for those planning a run for the White House. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and George W. Bush all expanded on their stump speeches to talk about their lives, introducing themselves and their ideas before they took to the campaign trail.

Ahead of the midterm elections, a theme has emerged in this genre. Many in the current crop of books by politicians emphasize faith.

Candidates today “are operating in a political environment that in some sense has come to demand this,” says Ellen Fitzpatrick, professor emerita of history at the University of New Hampshire. “The books are responding to the dynamics in current American politics and the way that religion has entered into the public sphere in a way that, in 1960, many voters were adamant to have it demonstrated that it would not be.”

That reflects a shift in public expectations. In the past, she says, voters wanted assurance that candidates would not allow their religion to influence their politics. For example, John F. Kennedy, the first Roman Catholic president, declared his commitment to the separation of church and state to allay concerns about Vatican interference.

But now “religion in the arena of politics … has attached itself to certain issues like reproductive rights, the whole question of gender roles, gay marriage,” Professor Fitzpatrick says, adding that “these foundational issues that once belonged in the realm of private life and now have become public issues.”

Authors now write about faith not just as inspiration, but also as a framework for their moral beliefs and policy decisions.

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is publishing a book in September about how his Christianity informs his approach to government and policy in “Go and Do Likewise: How We Heal a Broken Country.” Also in the fall, Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders weaves her Evangelical beliefs throughout her views of leadership in “Unapologetic: Clarity and Conviction in a World Gone Crazy.”