Founded 2009 Type 501(c)(4) non-profit | Founder Ralph E. Reed, Jr. Location Duluth, Georgia | |
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Focus Social conservative political advocacy | ||
The Faith and Freedom Coalition is an American ecumenical Christian right 501(c)(4) non-profit organization.
Contents
History
The organization was founded in 2009 by Christian Coalition founder Ralph E. Reed, Jr., who described it as "a 21st century version of the Christian Coalition". Reed designed the coalition as a bridge between the Tea Party movement and evangelical voters. The organization has grown quickly with hundreds of thousands of supporters and several hundred local chapters. Reed and his organization were a major supporter of the Romney-Ryan campaign in 2012 after organizing a debate for the Republican candidates, and a state chapter was also involved in state elections in 2011.
Positions
According to its website, the coalition opposes abortion, medical marijuana(amendment 2 in Florida), and same-sex marriage, and supports limited government, lower taxes, education reform, free markets, a strong national defense, and Israel.
Faith and Freedom Conference & Strategy Briefing
FFC held its first conference in September 2010 in Washington, D.C., with prominent speakers Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, and Bob McDonnell, the governor of Virginia. Other well-known attendees included Gary Bauer, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, Richard Land, Rep. Randy Forbes, Herman Cain, Rep. Tom Price, Dinesh D’Souza, and Rick Santorum.
The 2011 conference was also held in Washington in June with several hundred attendees. Nearly all the Republican 2012 presidential hopefuls spoke, including Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman, Jr., Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul. The Associated Press described the conference as a "tryout for candidates hoping to fill a void left by former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, an ordained Baptist minister who won the 2008 Iowa caucus but is not running for the 2012 Republican nomination." The Los Angeles Times said Bachmann was the most enthusiastically received by the crowd. Haley Barbour and Donald Trump, both of whom considered running but decided not to do so, also spoke. Cain was the keynote speaker at the closing banquet.
In May 2012, the organization announced a Jewish outreach component. At the June 2012 conference, a Shabbat program was held, with traditional, kosher Shabbat meals and Orthodox Jewish prayer services.
Road to Majority
June 19, 2014 marked FFC's 5th annual Road to Majority policy conference in Washington, DC. The event was attended by national grassroots activists and featured notable speakers such as Gov. Bobby Jindal, Monica Crowley, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Mike Huckabee. Historic conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly received the Winston Churchill Award for Conservative Leadership for her history of conservative activism.