Pat Robertson dies at 93; founded Christian Broadcasting Network, Christian Coalition
Pat Robertson, the charismatic religious broadcaster who parlayed the success of his pioneering television ministry into the first serious bid by an evangelical leader for the U.S. presidency, then launched the influential Christian Coalition advocacy group, has died. He was 93.
Robertson’s death Thursday was announced by his broadcasting network. No cause was given.
The founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network and host of its enormously popular, long-running program, “The 700 Club” had suffered a stroke in 2018.
A former Southern Baptist minister who said God had inspired him to run for president, Robertson made a strong start in his campaign for the 1988 Republican nomination, stunning better-known opponents, including Vice President George H.W. Bush, the eventual nominee, by finishing near the top in Iowa and other early contests.
Although poor showings in later primaries soon forced him to withdraw, Robertson’s campaign became a political springboard. In 1989, he founded the Christian Coalition, which gave conservative Christians a voice in the nation’s capital and helped turn the religious right into a well-organized political movement.
“He saw the possibilities,” said Laura R. Olson,
