INDIANAPOLIS—Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's visit to the African Methodist Episcopal Church convention July 6 was somewhat overshadowed by the announcement earlier that morning that his running mate will be Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

According to The Associated Press, Kerry had planned his visit to Indianapolis to speak about responsible leadership before the gathering of some 30,000 AME church members, a large portion of whom have traditionally supported Democratic candidates.

The week-long AME convention attracts members from among the 2 million who belong to the black Methodists group. Democratic party presidential nominee Al Gore addressed the last AME convention four years ago in Cincinnati.

According to the South Bend Tribune, black Americans are the most reliable of Democratic voters, and the church activists in Indianapolis are expected to take Kerry's message back to their communities across the country.

Brian S. Vargus, a political scientist at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, told the Tribune that mobilizing black voters through a church connection is crucial for Kerry.

"The most important institution in the African-American community is the church," Vargus said, "and if he excites even a few of them, it helps."

But black voter turnout remains a problem. Robin Winston, former chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party, told the Tribune that many African-Americans remain outside of elections.

"We still have some work to do to galvanize that person living in the inner city or that person who's been disaffected," Winston said.

Potential black voters, especially churchgoers, are also far more conservative than Kerry on social issues such as abortion and same-sex civil unions. Bishop Keith A. Butler of Word of Faith International Christian Center brought together a coalition of ministers representing well over 2 million African-American Christians, to speak at a news conference in Washington, D.C., June 24, in support of the Federal Marriage Protection Amendment currently before the Senate.

But according to Winston, the deciding vote may be cast along racial and party lines. "The one connecting factor is race," said Winston, who criticized Republicans on issues of importance to blacks, including affirmative action and urban investment.

"Those things resonate more loudly than where you are on the other litmus test (issues)," he said.