Altar call: The Democratic Party's religious rhetoric as image repair discourse

► Shows the religious rhetoric of recent Democratic candidates functioned as apologia. ► Analyzes the appropriateness of the image repair discourse strategies employed. ► Considers electoral and democratic consequences of this religious-political rhetoric. In 2004, Senator Barack Obama declared, “We worship a mighty God in the blue states.” During the 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns, Obama and other Democratic candidates attempted to prove that Republicans do not have a monopoly on religious campaign rhetoric by invoking God, quoting scriptures, and attending forums on faith. These efforts to find political salvation can be seen as an attempt at apologia by Democrats who defended their Party from a perception of being godless or anti-religion. This study analyzes the religious-political rhetoric of the 2004 and 2008 Democratic presidential candidates in order to evaluate and critique the various strategies used to repair the Party's image on religious matters.