For Mormons, Trump is too off-putting
LOS ANGELES: Mormons in the United States have traditionally been reliable Republican voters, but some members of the conservative church put off by President Donald Trump are switching sides and backing veteran Democrat Joe Biden. Support for Trump among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which emphasizes family values and morals, is especially lagging among women.
Experts say that could have a significant impact in some key battleground states - notably Arizona and Nevada, where Mormons represent six percent of the population. “There are things about Biden that I don’t agree with, but I think it’s more important not to vote for Trump,” said Melarie Wheat, a 36-year-old mother of five who lives in the western state of Utah, where the LDS Church is headquartered.
In 2016, Wheat voted for independent candidate Evan McMullin, who is Mormon, as she was put off by both Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. In the four years since, Trump has done little to change her initial opinion of him. “I thought, well, maybe he’ll get into office and he’ll kind of tone it down and follow conservative policies and he’ll be a good leader,” she told AFP. “But nope, that’s who he was,” Wheat added. “He likes to make fun of people and divide and he doesn’t respect women. He doesn’t respect refugees or immigrants or minorities.”
Like Wheat, many other Mormons are fed up with Trump’s rhetoric and behavior, which is at odds with the church’s teachings on sex, foul language, empathy and humility. Last month, McMullin - who in 2016 finished third in the election in Utah behind Trump, but not far behind Clinton - urged his followers to back Biden.
“A word to my fellow principled conservatives and Republicans: Voting for Biden doesn’t mean you agree with every position he holds or that you can’t oppose decisions he makes as president,” he said in a Twitter post. “It just means that you’re prioritizing the Constitution, truth & decency in this election.”
Republican Senator Mitt Romney, one of the Mormon church’s most famous members who has repeatedly clashed with Trump, also said this week that his party’s incumbent leader did not have his backing. “I did not vote for President Trump,” Romney, who cast his early ballot in Utah ahead of the Nov 3 contest, told CNN - while refusing to say if he had backed Biden. —AFP