The New York Times > Opinion >Op-Ed Columnist: A Matter of Faith

While this is certainly not a full picture of why the race is tight, i have to agree that this is a part of the picture.

"Just as Republicans have to appeal to religious conservatives but move beyond them, Democrats have to appeal to the secular left but also build a bridge to religious moderates. Bill Clinton did this. John Kerry hasn't. If you want to know why Kerry is still roughly even with Bush in the polls, even though Bush has had the worst year of any president since Nixon in 1973 or L.B.J. in 1968, this is one big reason."