CHICAGO -- A Christian Democratic group hopes to capitalize on what one poll finds is a shift among some white evangelicals away from the Republican party.

FaithfulDemocrats.com said it will stress awareness of the party's outreach to evangelical Christians and people of other faiths. Executive Director Jesse Lava said Democrats were reluctant in the past to be "too loud and proud" of any particular faith.

Lava said his party will play up the findings of an Oct. 6 - Oct. 8 Gallup Poll. It found that religious whites are equally as likely to say they will vote Democrat as Republican this fall.

Lava said the shift is due to what he calls the "hypocrisy of Republican values talk" and "the ethics scandal, the war scandals, and now a sex scandal."

FaithfulDemocrats.com described itself as "an online community of Christian Democrats, religious leaders, political leaders, writers, and regular Americans who are committed to the Gospel and the common good."

"For decades, many Christian Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans have ceded the public square to the Religious Right. But a movement has been brewing in America. Christian leaders have been speaking out for a different approach to politics -- one that focuses on Americans’ hopes and dreams, not just on tired wedge issues that divide the nation," a press release on the site said.

The site quoted a Pew survey released in August that it said showed that a large majority of American voters is religious and wants room for faith in public life. But at the same time, according to the study, half of all Americans are concerned that Christian conservatives have gone too far in imposing their beliefs on others. The group believes that this means religious voters are up for grabs in the 2006 elections.

"I'm tired of politicians, partisans and preachers spelling 'God' G-O-P," said co-chair Sen. Roy Herron. "Now many Americans think Jesus has quit riding a donkey and started riding an elephant. The truth is, God cannot be held captive by any political party. And American Christians should not be either."

Founders of the site said they hope to empower religious voters to think beyond "wedge issues."

"The Gospel is about justice and the common good, not fear and division," said Rev. Romal Tune, FaithfulDemocrats.com co-chair and director of Clergy Strategic Alliances. "It is time for Democrats to speak up about the values that animate our politics -- values that are born out of faith."

FaithfulDemocrats.com is chaired by Rev. Romal Tune of Maryland and State Sen. Roy Herron of Tennessee.

Tune is founder and director of Clergy Strategic Alliances. He served in the United States Army from 1989-1992 during the Gulf War, Desert Storm. Sen. Herron, a former minister and author on faith and politics, is the Democratic Floor Leader in the Tennessee Senate. He is also an attorney and businessman who teaches at Vanderbilt University's Law and Divinity Schools.