[pinkyphimu]

hmmmm, that is weird that offices that are perceived as being "lower" have canidates running around announcing their religious beliefs. the only reason i can think of, from the way you described the area, is that religion tends to be important to most people. the canidates may feel that they can sway some voters by saying i am an xyz believer.

as far as my opinion, i don't believe that religion should be an important part of a person's campaign. the reason is that no matter what religion they are, they do not represent everyone in their "area." i would never base my vote on what religion someone is, but i would not vote for someone who was overly religious- regardless of which religion.