Dole links Hagan to "anti-religion activists"

Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole is attacking Democratic challenger Kay Hagan for raising money from “anti-religion activists” at an upcoming event in Boston.

Hagan is scheduled to appear Sept. 15 at a fundraiser hosted by author Wendy Kaminer and her husband, Woody Kaplan, reports Barb Barrett.

Both are leaders of the Secular Coalition of America, which advocates for atheists and humanists in public policy. Kaplan also sits on the advisory board of the Godless Americans political action committee, whose Web site says it advocates for non-believers.

More after the jump.

–––––

Dole’s campaign said the pair is on the “left-wing fringe of political thought.”

In a press release, Dole spokesman Dan McLagan said: “Kay Hagan does not represent the values of this state; she is a Trojan Horse for a long list of wacky left-wing outside groups bent on policies that would horrify most North Carolinians if they knew about it.”

Another Dole spokesman, Hogan Gidley, pointed out that freedom of religion is part the Constitution, but he questioned Hagan’s ties.

“You can tell a lot from who your friends are,” Gidley said.

In response, Hagan’s campaign tried to tie Dole more closely with President Bush, pointing out that Dole was scheduled to attend a fundraiser this week at the Tampa, Fla., home of Alfred Austin, a Bush “Ranger” in the 2004 election.

“This is a desperate attempt to distract from the simple fact that it’s Elizabeth Dole who’s out of touch with North Carolinians,” said Hagan spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan.

Flanagan also pointed out that Hagan routinely attends church services around North Carolina during her campaign swings.

(Dole, too, often attends church services around the state when she is in North Carolina.)