Most Mormon voters interviewed were opting for Mitt Romney but not because they were Mormons, writes ASHLEY PARKERin Grand Junction, Colorado
ELIZABETH YOUNG, a mother and artist in Las Vegas, likes Mitt Romney’s successful record of “turning around companies that have been doing so poorly”.
Chad Backus, a physical therapist from Winnemucca, Nevada, appreciates his “business experience, his leadership experience”. And Arwen Spor, a mother of three in Spring Creek, Nevada, lived in the Salt Lake City area during the 2002 Olympics and trusts Romney because of his role in reviving the struggling games.
But all three voters – Mormon Republicans who are supporting Romney – also say they feel as if they have a deeper understanding of him and his values because of their shared faith.
In more than a dozen interviews, Mormon voters in Nevada and Colorado said that while a common religion was not a major factor in their support for Romney, their decision was informed by what they view as a mutual set of values and a strong sense of Romney’s background. And with contests Tuesday in Colorado and later this month in Arizona – two states where Mormons make up a notable slice of the Republican vote – Romney’s religion, which is a potential liability in other states, will likely prove an advantage.
“I try to look at all of the candidates objectively, but it does make it a little easier to trust him,” Spor said.
“It puts us in the spotlight. When someone is in the
spotlight, people ask a lot of questions, and it gives a chance to show that we’re not strange. We’re Christians like anybody else.”
Romney’s religion, which last year was called “a cult” by a Texas pastor supporting a rival candidate, is a sensitive topic for his aides who were hesitant to discuss any outreach he was doing to Mormon voters. On the night of the Nevada caucuses, Eric Fehrnstrom, one of Romney’s top advisers, even sent out a Twitter message that seemed geared to minimise the importance of the Mormon vote and to highlight what he suggested was a broad-based victory.
“Mormons make up one-quarter of Nevada caucus voters. Take them out of picture and Romney still wins the state decisively,” read Fehrnstrom’s Twitter post.
But for Romney, who won 88 per cent of the Mormon vote in Nevada and consistently got about 9 in 10 of the Mormon votes during the 2008 campaign, there is no denying that his Mormon support provides a base of loyal voters who can be tapped during the nominating contests and in a general election, particularly with Nevada and Arizona likely to be in play as swing states this fall.
“It just goes to character. You know you can trust him,” said Julie Moore (35) a mother of four in Reno, Nevada. “We have something in common that does bond you to him. I know how he’s going to stand on issues, so I don’t take every little jot and tittle and analyse it to death to know what he’s intending, because of the values taught in our families.”
Nearly every Mormon voter interviewed said they were not voting for Romney because they were Mormons – many cited Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic majority leader and a Mormon, as an example of someone for whom they would not vote.
Rather, they said that supporting a person of faith was more important than supporting a person of their particular faith. (In fact, while encouraging its members to vote and be civically engaged, the Mormon church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, does not endorse any particular candidate.)
But they also said they were more likely to view Romney’s candidacy through the lens of their shared background and to interpret his comments and positions in a way that was consistent with their religion.
“Knowing Romney is a Mormon, all of his critics who tried to demoralise him on abortion, all of those things, I know it’s not true because I know his faith and the role family plays in his life,” said Todd Thompson (34), a dentist in Battle Mountain, Nevada. “Romney is a very successful businessman who has family values – that’s important to me.” When Romney recently was hammered for saying he was “not concerned about the very poor”, a comment he later said was a misstatement, Backus said he and his father had a discussion about how they knew Romney could not have meant the statement the way it came out, because the Mormon church teaches the importance of caring for the poor.
“From a religious perspective, we believe very strongly in taking care of our poor and needy; it’s a fundamental tenet of our religion,” Backus explained. “I know he believes that very deeply, and I know that he personally has taken care of the poor and needy.”
The political clout of Mormons is often magnified by their high turnout in elections, particularly in Republican nominating contests. The roughly 11 per cent of the population they represent in Nevada translated into a quarter of the vote in the caucuses, and, in Colorado, the church estimates 3 per cent of the population is Mormon.
Some Mormons say they hope that Romney’s 2008 bid helped pave the way for a more positive depiction of their religion in the media this time around.
“He’s not what people think of as an ultraconservative Mormon,” said Denice Rasmussen (35), a mother of five who is supporting Romney. “When he was running, he was dubbed as ‘the Mormon’ and that’s how people thought of him. But now he’s gotten past that.”
For Derek Taylor (37), the chief financial officer at a manufacturing company, and his wife, Kirsten Taylor, who have four children, the issue is a complicated one. Kirsten Taylor thinks having Mormonism under such scrutiny is “tough”.
“Any time you run for office, they’re going to look to criticise,” she said. “It will get bad, there will be some really nasty, ugly things said, things about the church said because of the decisions he’ll make.”
Derek Taylor, however, takes the more optimistic view.
“I think it’s great, and I think Mormonism is not well-defined in the United States, especially in the east,” he said, adding he thinks Mormonism is “more mainstream” now because of Romney’s bid four years ago.
And then there are some for whom Romney’s religion drives their decision. Annette Hendrix (47) stood outside a Romney event in Reno with three of her five children. Her 16-year-old daughter sported a sweatshirt with the words “I can’t I’m Mormon” emblazoned across the front, and Hendrix said she has one question for Romney – “And it’s a highly personal question.”
“It’s, ‘Are you and your wife current temple recommend holders?’ she said, referring to Mormons documented as being in good standing with the church and able to partake in church sacraments. ‘If the answer was no, I would seriously look at Rick Santorum. He’s a Christian, and so am I.”