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Just as Romney seemed to finally answer the call to address the Mormon Question, the Huckabee surge came and fulfilled a year’s coverage of whether Evangelicals would vote for a Mormon. The Iowa race was thus declared a “Holy War.”
Frank Lockwood makes the point that Evangelicals aren’t bigoted because a majority of Evangelicals voted for someone other than Huckabee. Of course, Evangelicals aren’t the monolithic vote that they are too often described to be, just as Mormons aren’t. Looking at the Iowa’s exit polls, Romney got the second-most number of evangelicals with 19% to Huckabee’s 46%
But, further review shows that Huckabee captured the religious beliefs vote with 56% of those who replied they mattered a “Great Deal” and 30% who said “Somewhat.” Romney won the vote of those who said “Not Much” (38%) or “Not at All” (40%).
I don’t want to overtstate the impact of the anti-Mormon vote. Above all, I think it would be wrong and a huge mistake if Mormons joined the ranks of aggrieved minorities. But it does look like Huckabee’s Christian identity pitch and leveraging anti-Momon sentiments made a difference.
UPDATE: Evangelicals were also 60% of the vote, up from 39% in 2000. Huckabee’s surge unleashed a tsunami.
Tags: anti-mormon, evangelicals, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney
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4 January 2008 at 12:13 pm
annegb
But you know, heavy criticism of our religion and or Romney’s potential loss won’t change our lives or his life one bit. We’ll go on doing what we do. I don’t think that agrieved minority thing will bear out with us because we are hard-working people who just attend to what we need to attend to.
Huckabee might think he is winning by condemning our beliefs, but what has he won? A victory won by convincing people to vote AGAINST someone else rather than FOR him is hollow.
4 January 2008 at 12:16 pm
David H. Sundwall
I agree. I think in the big picture, the scrutiny and opposition is good for the Church and its members and we’ll be the better for it.
And Huckabee won’t be able to duplicate this success nation-wide.
4 January 2008 at 12:58 pm
Todd Wood
My fourth LDS blog report to read on this issue, today.
I think I agree with your last comment, David S. He will be gleefully murdered by the media. No doubt about it.
4 January 2008 at 1:09 pm
David H. Sundwall
Todd,
That may be, but the media built him up in the last month so they certainly have the power to take him down.
4 January 2008 at 2:05 pm
JLFuller
I have had more opportunity to do missionary work and explain our Church and beliefs in the last six months than any other time. This has been a real boon for our Church. It seems the more the Huckabee’s and other anti-Mormons bring the subject up, the more people are interested in finding out about us. There are at least three people who had their views of us changed by my discussions with them.
One Georgia woman said she left her Baptist Church because of the heavy anti-Mormon rhetoric coming from her pastor. She didn’t feel it was Christian and believed her congregation was loosing their contact with the Holy Spirit because of it.
4 January 2008 at 2:29 pm
Chris H.
David,
It does not matter whether Mitt gets the nomination or not. Just practice saying President Obama. I love Iowa.
4 January 2008 at 3:36 pm
mondo cool
I don’t remember the exact number - maybe in the 30% range - who said they would never vote for a person who was a member of the Church, but I am confident that percentage included people who do not identify themselves as “evangelicals.” I know Presbyterians and Catholics who are among that number. So, I’m wondering if it is fair to assign the “anti-mormon” vote all to evangelicals.
Even though the evangelical vote was not monolithic, Huckabee got more of the evangelical vote than any other candidate.
I also wonder how the Mormons in Iowa voted. Anybody checking on that?
4 January 2008 at 3:52 pm
David H. Sundwall
JLFuller -
Thanks for you story. That’s very interesting and reassuring that in the end it will work itself out.
Chris -
Thanks for the headache.
Actually, between Obama being the liberal and Huckabee forcing the GOP down that road, I wonder if I wouldn’t prefer Obama too.
mondo cool -
That’s a valid point. All Evangelicals aren’t anti-Mormon as all anti-Mormons aren’t Evangelical.
I doubt there are any hard numbers on Mormons. We just don’t make up that much of the electorate. Plus, someone commented elsewhere, that Iowa is one of the states that is least represented by Mormons.