Latter-day Saints had been among the most reliably Republican voting blocs — until Trump took over the party.
In 2016, Mormons rejected Donald Trump in numbers unheard of for a Republican nominee — viewing the thrice-married, immigrant-bashing Republican as an affront to their values.
In 2020, the president is going all-out to change their minds — a little-noticed effort that could make or break him in Arizona and Nevada, home to more than a half-million Latter-day Saints combined. Joe Biden’s campaign, sensing an unlikely opening for a Democrat, is also targeting Mormons in the pair of Western swing states.
Before Trump became the party standard bearer, Mormons had been among the most loyal GOP voters in the country. A 2010 Gallup survey found that “Mormons are both the most Republican and the most conservative of any of the major religious groups in the U.S. today.” But many Mormons found Trump blasphemous, and the Church itself made thinly veiled statements condemning the candidate’s rhetoric on immigration and religious freedom.
Mormon support for the Republican ticket dropped from 80 percent in 2004 and 78 percent in 2012, to 61 percent in 2016, even as most other Christians moved further to the right, according to Pew.
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Biden’s campaign has rolled out its own prominent Mormon supporters, led by former Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, a longtime Trump critic who said he believes Biden will “approach the constitutional role [of president] with the reverence and dignity it deserves.” The campaign is also prepping LDS volunteers to make calls to Mormon-heavy areas seeking support for Biden.
Some Mormons in Arizona have formed their own political action committee, earnestly named: “Arizona Republicans Who Believe In Treating Others With Respect.” The most prominent Mormon politician in the country, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), has said he will not vote for Trump, though he has not endorsed Biden.
Biden’s advisers argue that his message of restoring civility will appeal to LDS members who, like Romney and Flake, are offended by Trump’s conduct over the past four years.
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- Discussion
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Latter-day Saints had been among the most reliably Republican voting blocs — until Trump took over the partyhttps://t.co/aZkkaCsnls
— POLITICO (@politico) September 13, 2020
For anyone paying attention, Mormons aren’t a “surprise religious group” in any way, shape or form. There’s a reason we targeted Mormon women as part of our Make America Awesome anti-Trump ads in the 2016 GOP primary— we wanted them backing Cruz. https://t.co/QB6YViNt2n
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) September 13, 2020
As it stands right now, I have seen a good bit of polling that indicates that Mormons in AZ are backing Biden to a surprising degree and if he takes the state, they will be a deciding factor. Maybe that will change but it would take a LOT to get them voting for Trump. A LOT.
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) September 13, 2020
I’d say most devout Christians — not those bogus Christians Trump rounded up to back him — have had more than enough of Trump. They might have voted for him in 2016 because he claimed to be a pro-life conservative and ignored his immoral past, but I think in the last four years, they have become disillusioned with him. Many who may have always voted Republican previously, may have decided they have to swallow their convictions and side with the party of abortion just to get Trump out of the White House.
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