It's really, really, REALLY not "the same thing".

The mix of politics and atheism, or rather, politics and an absence of belief in anything religious, spiritual, or supernatural, can be a nasty combination.  However, I would be willing to bet that almost everyone has a "baseline" for their chosen political candidates; a baseline dictated by any number of things.  Unfortunately, for most people, that baseline begins and ends with what consonant follows their name, either "R" or "D".  

While i fully understand that the act of being a "Bright" (Daniel Dennet's alternate term for "atheist") occupies different levels of priority for different people, for some, our choice to support any political candidate does include analyzing a candidate's core belief set as a fundamental baseline dicatating our support or lack thereof.

For me, it's quite simple.  I cannot support a political candidate solely on the basis of their lack of belief in anything religious, spiritual, or supernatural, but i cannot support any candidate who maintains any religious, spiritual, or supernatural beliefs.   This is not the same as some "single issue" voters, such as those who claim some party affiliation but decline to support a candidate running on that parties ticket because their belief on things like taxation, 2nd amendment rights, pregnancy termination, or immigration, which might run contrary to their own.   Those are "policy" issues, and, while they may relate to the individual's core belief set in some way, i sincerely doubt that the voters who would choose to turn their backs on those candidates, are doing so because of how that candidate's position on those issues represents that candidate's core beliefs.  They are more likely turning their back on that candidate because they do not support that, or those, policy issues that the voter deemed critical.

Inversely, for those voters who will claim that any single, or group of, policy or social issues are critical to them, but will cast their vote for a candidate who runs a campaign contrary to those issues, because they deem it important to "stay loyal to the party", are just flat out disingenious and pathetically misguided.

When someone seeks a high political office, they are asking for the keys to your life.   Despite the fact that we are a Representative Republic form of government, short of a recall vote, there is little you, as a constituent can do to compel the individual, once elected, to adequately represent your interests and priorities once they are in office.   I am NOT insinuating that someone lacking religious, spiritual, or supernatural convictions is inherently more reliable than someone who clings to such things, but, at the very

least, what i know about that individual is there is no chance that they will be driven by hallucinatory consultations with imaginary beings when making decisions which could affect my life or livelihood.   They are no more or less likely to be distracted by greed or other outside influences, but, as a baseline, at the very least, what i'm dealing with in an atheist candidate is the lack of magical thinking which should have no place in making decisions which can affect whether or not my heart keeps beating, in a worst case scenario.

I've had the opportunity to see MANY people who like to claim that atheism is central to their priorities in life, yet they are more than willing to, with a glazed over look in their eyes, participate in party politics to further the agenda of politicians on any level, who have NO interest whatsoever in seeing that religion and the like is completely removed from the political process in this country.  There is not one single atheist congressman or representative in office on a federal level today.   And in fact, there are laws on the books that declare that a self-professed atheist is forbidden from running for certain offices in certain States.   While i have no interest in going to war with States which can determine their own destiny (don't like the laws in one state?  Fucking MOVE), the federal government and all of it's processes and procedures should be completely devoid of any connection whatsoever to anything at all having to do with religion, spirituality, or supernatural nonsense.   This is NOT the current state of affairs at the federal level, not by a long shot.

The question was posed to me the other day "what is your plan for promoting an atheist political candidate".   My response was that this is not the battle as it is today.  There is almost no chance to get an atheist, a TRUE atheist, elected to any high office in this country today.  That's the sad fact of the matter.  

As it is now, the landscape of the electorate needs to transform, and, remain patient as more people wake up to the fact that the bill of goods that they've bought into with all the ancient "religion" hooey, is just that.   Nonsense.   As more people mature and open their eyes, they will also begin to demand that their representatives in government are not individuals who are clinging to mystic beliefs propogated by iron age sheepherders.

For me, I demand that now, and absent and such candidates within my field of view, i'll remain vocal about how harmful it is for individuals who support the precepts of atheism to be supporting and electing individuals into positions of power who believe in ghosts.