Many pundits have said that Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith would hurt his presidential bid, as evangelical Republicans would view him with suspicion. But in coming primary states, his beliefs may play a key role in increasing his support,
Politico reports.
There are many Mormon voters in the states of Nevada, which holds its caucuses Saturday; Colorado, which holds its caucuses Tuesday; and Arizona, which holds its primary Feb. 28. And members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tend to vote in high numbers.
Indeed they are expected to account for about 20 percent of the voters in Nevada.
Beyond the sheer number of Mormons, Romney will benefit from the fact that in upcoming states, voters across the board -- even very conservative Christian Republicans — don’t feel threatened by Mormonism.
“The LDS thing I think is probably less of an issue here, . . . because we’re so familiar with Mormons and the LDS faith,” former Colorado Rep. Bob Beauprez, a Romney supporter, told Politico. “I think most people see them as patriotic folks, good neighbors, hard workers, wonderful family values. The mystery, if there’s any of that, just doesn’t exist out here.”
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