>> We don’t particularly want to take over the White House. For better or for worse, after all that we’ve been through, Mormons would rather just keep to ourselves. <<
Then why do 77% of Mormons support Romney? (That poll is from before Huntsman got out, making Hunstman’s additional Mormon support all the more incredible.) Can it be that Mormons are more likely to agree with Romney that Kennedy was inadequate in his championing of women’s rights to tear their babies into a pulp? Or are they all supportive of state-run takeovers of the health care industry?
... of course, the irony is that Kennedy practically renounced his Catholicism to become President. Rather than explain the limits of papal authority and the legitimacy of moral concerns in the political world, he simply disavowed any obedience to the pope.
Then why do 77% of Mormons support Romney? (That poll is from before Huntsman got out, making Hunstman’s additional Mormon support all the more incredible.)
It's MUCH, MUCH higher in specific Western states like Utah.
A Mormon organization (FAIR) had a conference last August and revealed a Gallup poll of GOP voters in Utah. It said that 85% of Utah GOP voters planned to vote for Romney; another 11% for Huntsman. Both are Mormons. That meant only 4% of Utah Mormons have a non-Mormon in mind.
Source: Perception of Mitt Romney election to presidency would be similar to that of John F. Kennedy...
That 96% pro-Mormon vote by Mormons not only unveils...
...extreme identity politics
-- not to mention what some might regard as open "bigotry" vs. non-Mormon candidates...
[Note: While I acknowledge the reasons why Lds vote for fellow Lds candidates -- because of their religion...I personally don't consider it "bigotry"]
...But it also is similar to the last election cycle when 94% of Mormons in Utah & Nevada voted for Romney.
94% sources:
"While the former Massachusetts governor’s faith has been a flashpoint in his campaign, it was perhaps one of his strongest assets in Utah, where more than 60% of the state’s residents share his faith. Exit poll data shows Romney swept voters across the board, handily winning every social, economic, and generational demographic in the state, as well as 94% of all Mormon voters." (Susan Davis, Wall Street Journal, Feb. 5, 2008, Romney Wins Utah With Help From Friends [Note: The Wall Street Journal was citing MSNBC.msn.com...]
Per the Mormon Church, Mormons make up about 7.5% of Nevada's population. But according to the entrance polls so far, a whopping 25% of those who participated in the state's GOP caucuses are Mormons. And 94% of those people went with Romney.
Source: Nevada Mormons turn out for Romney (Mark Murray, MSNBC, Jan. 19, 2008)