Kamala Harris/ Latter-day Saints/ Mormon voters/ Arizona/ 2024 election/ Donald Trump/ faith-based politics/ Newslooks/ PHOENIX/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Vice President Kamala Harris is focusing on engaging Mormon voters in Arizona, where Latter-day Saints make up nearly 6% of the population. Harris’ campaign is enlisting influential members of the faith to emphasize that Donald Trump’s values conflict with the church’s teachings. Winning over even a small percentage could sway Arizona’s tight race.
“Kamala Harris Outreach to Mormon Voters Quick Looks”:
- Kamala Harris intensifies outreach to Mormon voters in Arizona, a key battleground state.
- Her campaign announced an advisory committee to target Latter-day Saints and former members.
- With 450,000 Latter-day Saints in Arizona, a small shift could impact the state’s close election.
- Harris supporters emphasize faith-based reasons for rejecting Trump and his actions.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially remains neutral in politics.
Kamala Harris Aims to Win Over Mormon Voters in Arizona
Deep Look:
Vice President Kamala Harris has launched a targeted effort to win over voters belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arizona, a crucial battleground state for the 2024 presidential election. On Thursday, her campaign announced the formation of an advisory committee focused on engaging current and former members of the church, commonly known as the Mormon church. This strategic outreach seeks to highlight Donald Trump’s divergence from core church values and rally support for the Democratic ticket in what is expected to be a highly competitive race.
Arizona is home to nearly 450,000 Latter-day Saints, representing about 6% of the state’s population. While the majority of church members have traditionally leaned Republican, the Harris campaign hopes to make inroads by emphasizing moral and ethical concerns about Trump’s behavior and policies. In the 2020 election, about 70% of Mormon voters nationally backed Trump, according to AP VoteCast data, while approximately 25% supported Democrat Joe Biden. With Arizona’s recent history of close election outcomes, even a small shift in Latter-day Saint votes could have significant ramifications.
Harris’ strategy revolves around diminishing Trump’s margins in demographics where he has typically performed well. The vice president’s team acknowledges that winning a majority of Mormon votes is unlikely. However, gaining a modest share of their support could tip the scales in a state that has seen razor-thin election results in recent years. For example, Biden won Arizona by just under 10,500 votes in 2020, and Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes secured victory by only 280 votes in 2022.
Latter-day Saints supporting Harris are making a faith-based appeal, arguing that Trump’s actions and rhetoric stand in stark contrast to the church’s teachings, particularly its reverence for the U.S. Constitution. Joel John, a former Republican state lawmaker and co-chair of the advisory committee, explained that his support for Harris is grounded in his faith’s belief that the Constitution is divinely inspired. “The Constitution is a tenet of our faith, and we certainly shouldn’t be voting for people who have shown a disdain for it,” John said, referring to Trump’s actions surrounding the January 6 insurrection.
Although John emphasized that he does not speak on behalf of the church, he noted that Latter-day Saints are encouraged to vote for leaders who are “good, honest, and wise.” In his view, Trump lacks the moral qualities that align with those teachings, even if some voters may agree with his policies. However, Harris’ progressive economic stance and views on gun control may still deter conservative church members from fully embracing her candidacy.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remains officially neutral on political candidates and parties. Nevertheless, some members find Trump’s brash style and offensive language at odds with the church’s values of humility and compassion. His repeated clashes with prominent Latter-day Saints, including U.S. Senator Mitt Romney of Utah and former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, have not endeared him to the broader Mormon community either.
Arizona’s Latter-day Saints population is heavily concentrated in suburban areas of Phoenix, particularly the East Valley, which has historically been a Republican stronghold. Mesa, the state’s third-largest city, has deep Mormon roots, having been founded by Latter-day Saint pioneers in the 19th century. While the area remains largely conservative, ticket-splitting voters have recently rejected Trump-backed candidates, adding to the state’s battleground status. In addition to Phoenix suburbs, Mormon settlers also played a key role in developing rural areas of Arizona, where their descendants continue to hold influence.
This is not the first time Democrats have sought to court the Mormon vote. In 2016, Hillary Clinton attempted to draw parallels between Trump’s proposed Muslim immigration ban and the persecution experienced by early members of the Mormon church. Biden followed suit in 2020, putting a more organized effort into engaging Latter-day Saints, similar to the one Harris is advancing now.
While there is strong social pressure within the faith to vote conservatively, Harris’ campaign hopes to capitalize on shifts in voting patterns among younger Latter-day Saints, who tend to be more diverse and more open to progressive policies than older generations. Brittany Romanello, an anthropologist and postdoctoral fellow at Arizona State University, noted that some Mormons are more concerned with moral values than party loyalty. “Mormons have been shown to have this attitude that they aren’t just voting based on party affiliation only,” said Romanello, who was raised in the church but is no longer a practicing member. “They’re voting based on morals.”
Harris’ campaign, by addressing these moral concerns and aligning them with church teachings, aims to erode Trump’s support in one of the most tightly contested states in the upcoming election. With Latter-day Saints making up a significant portion of Arizona’s electorate, any movement in this group could prove crucial in deciding the state’s outcome.
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