New York, August 11 – On this Sunday’s “State of Belief,” The Interfaith Alliance Foundation’s show on Air America Radio, Rev. Welton Gaddy examines the role that religion played in Senator Joe Lieberman’s defeat by Ned Lamont in Tuesday’s Connecticut Democratic primary. Welton also speaks with David Kuo, BeliefNet.com columnist and former deputy director of President Bush’s unconstitutional White House Office of Community and Faith-Based Initiatives.

Former Connecticut House Majority Leader David Pudlin, a prominent Lamont supporter, joins Welton in discussing the Lamont victory, and more specifically, how religion played a role in the Lamont campaign.

With the recent appointment of a new director of the president’s faith-based initiative — which has illegally established government-funded religion — Welton welcomes the input of former deputy director of the office, David Kuo, who in 2003 resigned in protest.

“The White House named a new director to the office, and sent out a press release at 7 p.m. one Thursday evening, and demoted the person’s position in the office, and I think that speaks volumes on what they intend to do with the initiative going forward,” Kuo says.

Kuo also expresses his frustration with the partisan lines that have been drawn around religion. “I’m deeply disappointed that Democrats haven’t been more explicitly embracing of people of faith, and I’m very disappointed that Republicans have been continually dismissive of programs to care for the poor.  Nothing changes, it seems.”

Also, Welton launches State of Belief‘s new segment, One Nation, Many Faiths, Vote 2006 — an in-depth look at the role religion is playing in various campaigns across the country.

Interfaith Alliance is a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. We mobilize powerful coalitions to challenge Christian nationalism and religious extremism, while fostering a better understanding of the healthy boundaries between religion and government. We advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America where the freedoms of belief and religious practice are protected, and where all persons are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive. For more information visit interfaithalliance.org.