Keith Butler for U.S. Senate

Keith Butler faces the fight of his life. An we must help him.
Ordinarily a national publication such as Charisma makes endorsements only for president and vice president-the only offices voted on by all Americans. But Charisma is endorsing Keith Butler for U.S. Senate from the state of Michigan. We urge all our readers to support his candidacy.

I believe so strongly that America needs senators such as Butler that I am urging our estimated 11,000 Michigan readers not only to vote for him in the Republican primary on August 1 but also to work for his nomination and later his election. The stakes are high.

As you will read in our cover story, Butler is a pastor and a man of high principles. He believes as you believe. He’ll vote the way you would vote if you were in the Senate. And if elected, he’ll replace Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a pro-abortion Democrat.

For the majority of our readers who don’t live in Michigan, there’s another reason to support Butler. How the Senate votes is so important on so many issues (such as ratification of Supreme Court nominees) that it doesn’t matter what state they are from.

You want senators in office who vote the right way. That’s why there was so much focus last year on South Dakota. It was out-of-state support that helped defeat liberal senator Tom Daschle.

Our story reports that Butler aligned with the Republican Party because of his conservative values. But buried in the account is something that should concern us all. Even though Butler was the Republican frontrunner-and even though his candidacy as a black Republican is historic-some power brokers in Washington decided they were “uncomfortable” with his candidacy. They urged another Republican to oppose him.

We can only speculate about why they were uncomfortable. Is it because he’s a Spirit-filled Christian who will vote according to his conscience rather than the party line? Is it because he is part of the so-called religious right? Are they wary of the fact that he is black? Maybe they think a conservative African-American can’t win an election.

Whatever the reason, Butler faces the fight of his life. And we must help him. If Butler loses, it will be more difficult next time for “one of us” to run for office. It will also send a signal that conservative African-Americans are not electable. And if we can’t work together to get someone as talented and qualified as Keith Butler elected, who can we get elected?

Christians in Michigan must see the urgency of getting Butler elected now. We may not have a second chance. Winning will require supporting the campaign and giving financially. Individual contributions are limited to only $2,100 per person per campaign. That means a husband and wife can give $4,200 for the primary election and then another $4,200 later in the general election.

Considering the millions of dollars needed to win, that’s not much. Laws were passed to keep big donors and large corporations from swinging elections with huge contributions. But it also makes fundraising at the grass-roots level difficult and time-consuming.

We need hundreds of thousands of believers around the country to get involved. First, you can pray. Then you can work by sending copies of this article to friends in Michigan and encouraging those you know to get out and vote.

And you can give, just as my wife and I have done. Even though I have stayed on the political sidelines during most of my career, I donated the maximum I can give by law, and I asked personal friends to help Butler, too. Nearly every one of the Christian leaders I have asked for help has given-a total of $80,000 so far.

To contribute to Butler’s campaign, go to www.keithbutlerforus senate.com or call 248-905-5288. Or you can write: Keith Butler for U.S. Senate, P.O. Box 509, Novi, MI 48376.

When I learned Butler was running, I immediately volunteered to help him. And I intend to travel to Michigan before the election to generate support. But I can’t do it alone. Please get involved.

Let’s send a signal to Washington. Let’s prove that we can get one of our own elected. And even if some are “uncomfortable” with his candidacy, let’s show that Keith Butler can win without their support-because the people want and need a man of his stature and vision in the U.S. Senate.