Mormons Dream of the Presidency

By observing the American political scene, Mormons have begun to dream. In 2012, not one but two of their coreligionists, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, could have the opportunity to remove Barack Obama from the White House.

On the other hand, in turning their attention to the New York theater scene they are distressed. These days one of the most popular musical comedies on Broadway, “The Book of Mormon,” not only draws upon the title of their holy book, but also ridicules their dogma.

Hence the question: Would the prejudices and stereotypes to which Mormons are still subjected constitute an insurmountable obstacle to the presidential ambitions of politicians belonging to their church?

The question is posed with even more acuteness to the Mormon candidates for the Republican Party nomination, as Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, has already seen. This week, he confirmed his intention to run for president for a second time.

“We know that religion was a big problem for Mitt Romney during the 2008 primaries,” said John Green, a specialist in the role of religion in politics. “In surveys conducted at that time, white evangelical Christians, who constitute a very important electorate within the Republican Party, had indicated that they were less likely to vote for a Mormon, mostly for religious reasons.”*

The arrival of a second Mormon presidential candidate, in the case of Jon Hunstman, the current U.S. ambassador to China and the former governor of Utah, could change things, according to Green. “The presence of two viable Mormon candidates could cause affiliation with this religion to be perceived as common and therefore more acceptable,” declared the political analyst at the University of Akron in Ohio in an interview.*

As photogenic as Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman will announce in the coming weeks his decision about his presidential candidacy. Meanwhile, the approximately six million American Mormons, who are concentrated in the Western states, cannot refrain from flexing their muscles.

“I think that the average Mormon is proud that two of our guys are far enough along in their political careers to be considered as presidential candidates,” said Gary Lawrence, a pollster and author who is a Mormon himself. “It’s a very nice compliment.”*

But Lawrence isn’t holding his breath. In 2008, after having polled the America population he asserted in his book, entitled “How Americans View Mormonism,” that his coreligionists have a serious image problem.

“The most important fact is that 37 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Mormons, against 49 percent who have a negative opinion,” he summarized.

Ironically, Gary Lawrence is not offended by the success of the musical comedy from the creators of the animated series “South Park,” Trey Parker and Matt Stone, which recounts the adventures of two young and naïve Mormons on a mission in a Ugandan village plagued by AIDS, poverty and war.

“I don’t care how many people hate us, provided that we increase the number of people that love us,” he said. “If, behind its vulgar language, this musical comedy encourages people to be interested in the Book of Mormon, then it helps us.”*

But what is good for the Mormon Church is not necessarily good for the politicians who are members. Therefore, religion will remain Mitt Romney’s greatest handicap in 2012, according to Carl Forti, the former governor’s deputy director for the 2008 presidential campaign.

“It’s not something you can test. It’s not something you can poll. There’s just a bias out there,” he declared at the end of March during a debate organized in Washington by The National Journal.

Four years ago, Mitt Romney employed two strategies for handling the problem of his religion. He had first commented ironically about the old practice of polygamy in expressing his opposition to same sex marriage. “Marriage is between a man and a woman … and a woman and a woman,” he had said on several occasions.

Then in December 2007 he attempted to revive his campaign, which was losing momentum, by delivering a speech to reassure evangelical Christians about his religion. “I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith, nor should he be rejected because of his faith,” he said.

Commentators have drawn parallels between that speech and the one John Kennedy made to Protestant ministers worried about the possibility of seeing a Catholic capture the White House.

“There is cause to believe that if the Protestants were able to overcome their mistrust of Catholics, the evangelicals can probably do the same with Mormons,” said the political analyst John Green. “The question is knowing how long it will take.”*

* Translator’s note: Quote, though accurately translated, could not be verified.