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In this podcast, Art Remillard speaks with Mark Silk about religion and the 2012 presidential election. Silk is Professor of Religion in Public life at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life. Among his many publications, Silk co-edited an eight-volume series on religion and region, which culminated in his 2008 book, One Nation, Divisible, co-authored with Andrew Walsh. Silk also blogs at ”Spiritual Politics,” which is hosted by the Religion News Service. In this conversation, Silk begins by discussing his unique career path, from a doctorate in medieval history at Harvard, to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and then back to academia. He goes on to offer insight on the major themes of the presidential race, such as the gaining influence of the religiously unaffiliated (or ”nones”), Mitt Romney’s Mormonism, and the possible declining influence of the “evangelical vote.” This is the first of three podcasts recorded at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion in Chicago.