COLUMBUS — Former Dayton-area Congressman Tony Hall will endorse fellow Democrat Barack Obama for president in an ad to be aired on Ohio Christian radio stations starting Monday, Sept. 22.

While a Democrat endorsing another Democrat is not unusual, Hall's action is part of a broader effort by Democrats this year to draw support from religious voters who have been crucial to Republicans' success.

"The Republicans would have us all believe that if you're not a Republican, you can't know God," Hall, who made fighting hunger in the U.S. and globally the focus of his congressional career, said in a telephone interview on Saturday, Sept. 20.

He served in the U.S. House from 1979-2002 before being appointed by Republican President Bush as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations' Agencies for Food and Agriculture, based in Rome. He served as ambassador for more than three years.

Hall made the ad for the Matthew 25 Network, a political action committee organized "to mobilize Catholic, Evangelical and diverse Christian voices for a new Christian witness in politics."

The group takes its name after the chapter from the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus instructs his followers to care for the "least of these." The ad is aimed at connecting this Christian mandate to the economic crisis in Ohio and the country, a press release said.

Hall called Obama a "good man" committed to helping the poor and cited Obama's decision after law school to work on a voter registration driver rather than take a high-paying job.

In the ad, Hall identifies himself as a "pro-life Democrat," which puts him at odds with Obama, who supports abortion rights.

Despite this disagreement, "I believe he would be the best person to work on the things I care about," Hall said.

John McClelland, spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party, said that the "conservative Christian vote is just as complex as any other voting bloc."

"They're going to look at where the candidates stand on a number of issues and we're confident they'll support Sen. (John) McCain," McClelland said.

Contact this reporter at (614) 224-1608 or whershey@DaytonDailyNews.com.