As Senator Marco Rubio tries to expand his popularity in Iowa, he is speaking directly to the state’s influential Christian population in a new television commercial, saying he shares their desire “to accept the free gift of salvation offered to us by Jesus Christ.”
The commercial, first reported by the Christian Broadcasting Network, is part of the Florida senator’s effort to forge stronger ties to Iowa’s Christian conservatives, many of whom are already aligned with other candidates, like Senator Ted Cruz of Texas or Ben Carson.
“The purpose of our life is to cooperate with God’s plan,” Mr. Rubio says, sitting in a leather chair as he looks slightly off camera. “To those who much has been given, much is expected. And we will be asked to account for that. Were your treasures stored up on earth or in heaven? And to me, I try to allow that to influence me in everything that I do.”
Mr. Rubio, who was baptized Mormon as a child, now practices as a Catholic and sometimes attends a Southern Baptist-affiliated church, is not prone to opening up about his faith on the campaign trail. But he has slowly started to do so, especially in Iowa, earning the backing of some prominent pastors.
Still, some Christian conservatives remain wary, in part because of his ties to the New York financier Paul Singer, one of the biggest contributors to efforts to legalize gay marriage.
With less than four weeks before the Iowa caucuses, the Rubio campaign is stepping up its efforts. On Wednesday it announced a 15-member religious advisory board with Christian leaders like the pastor Rick Warren.