Star Spangled Staggers

US politics from outside the beltway

One in five US voters would not vote for Mormon president

Iz it coz I iz a follower of da Latter Day Saints movement?

By Duncan Robinson Published 20 June 2011 15:21

Mitt Romney has a commanding lead among the already-declared Republican candidates. The only man who can stop him (some argue) is Jon Huntsman, who is announcing his candidacy today. While the punditocracy are getting hot and bothered over these two candidates, one rather startling poll by Gallup out today could throw cold water over this excitable analysis.

Mormon

Ouch.

Both Romney and Huntsman are Mormons, and this gives poll will give them both a headache. God-fearing they may be, but they fear the wrong God. Well, the wrong interpretation of the right God, at least. It turns out, according to the poll, that being a Mormon is more of an electoral hindrance than being either black, woman, Catholic, Jewish or Hispanic. Only gay people and the godless are more off putting for US voters.

Romney and Huntsman both have an uphill battle with one in five voters unwilling to back them based on their religion. Skin colour no longer matters, but religion - or the lack of it - still does. Ali G needs updating: Iz it cos I iz a follower of da Latter Day Saints movement? In this case, yes.

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Tags: Jon Huntsman Mormon Mitt Romney US Election 2012

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7 comments

Mon, 2011-06-20 17:44 — Duncan Robinson (not verified)

@Khaleda I know. I was unable to find a decent poll with the Muslim question.

Mon, 2011-06-20 18:22 — JimmyRushmoore (not verified)

Please, that Ali G strap line is just painful.

Mon, 2011-06-20 19:51 — charlesfrith

4 in 5 voters would.

Mon, 2011-06-20 21:31 — Daniel (not verified)

A false prophet w/ magic underwear is hard-sell to main-stream America!

Do you really want to get into the plural-marriage and child-bride discussion?

Besides, what did Mormons do for people? Tell the followers to mortgage their houses to fund the anti-gay Prop 8 in California? OK all you Mormons and other self proclaimed profits. Your days of lies and deceit, your days for dividing people are dwindling.

What are you going to rejoice about when you get old?

That you stopped the gays from getting married or serving with honor in our military for a short while?

Well than; Mission Accomplished.

A Mormon is a bigot, I won't defend them.

Mon, 2011-06-20 23:35 — Doug (not verified)

The only reason 20% of voters will not vote for a Mormon is due to misinformation and lack of knowledge of what Mormons truly believe. If you do anything, you should become informed so you will not be labeled "ignorant" when it comes to understanding the "mormons". The name of their church is: The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints". You'll notice this is a Christ-centered church.
Please, for your own elightenment, go to www.mormon.org to see for yourself. Ask a mormon colleague what they think about America, about their community, about the Constitution of the USA, about family values, about ethics, about serving others, about why we are here (on the earth) and the purpose of life. You may find their answers interesting. At least you'll have received 1st hand information instead regurjitated hate speech that is out of touch with the reality of what Mormons believe and do.

Tue, 2011-06-21 02:06 — David Lindsay

The real story of Romney's frontrunner status is that, for all the media lather over the Tea Party, the GOP primary electorate is still dominated by the people who nominated Bush I, Dole, Bush II as he presented himself in 2000, and McCain. The rise within the GOP of people who believe that America is Zion, and the only Zion is America? That'll do nicely.

Glenn Beck's readers, viewers and listeners may end up converting, as he did, to the only form of religion in which Manifest Destiny makes sense as anything other than an add-on and an aberration. A Beckian Mormonism would be something quite different from that taught by the grand old men of Salt Lake City. That ought to be impossible, since being a Mormon means submitting to the authority of the Prophet and First President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. But they already tolerate Beck himself, as we Catholics tolerate certain high-profile neoconservative converts, although Fr Neuhaus, at least, did seem to be coming round by the end, and might very well have done so in the end.

Bringing us to that which is really sought by those who seek that fullness of Christianity which includes priesthood, a high theology of baptism, a living earthly Teaching Office focused in a person on this earth, an intercessory relationship between those on this side of bodily death and those on the other side of it, and so much else besides.