Far-right evangelical Pat Robertson dead at 93
Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and one of the most influential figures of the Religious Right, has died at the age of 93, according to the Associated Press.
Robertson founded CBN in 1961, but it was in the early 1980s that his influence within the Republican Party grew by leaps and bounds. Along with the Moral Majority's Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr., Robertson played a key role in the rise of the Religious Right — which has since been a highly influential voting block within the GOP.
Over the years, Robertson was known for promoting far-right conspiracy theories. The late conservative Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) believed that far-right evangelicals like Falwell and Robertson were bad for the GOP, yet their influence continued to grow. In 1988, Robertson ran for president as a Republican, but the nomination eventually went to then-Vice President George H.W. Bush.
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