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- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Danielle Kurtzleben
However, religious beliefs could affect Republican in a tight primary race
In the 2012 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney's Mormon faith will play an important role, but party allegiance would likely ultimately win out in a general election, according to new poll from the
The poll, conducted November 9-14, shows that among all Republican and leaning-Republican voters, Romney leads all
White evangelical Protestants are also by far more likely than white mainline Protestants and white Catholics to believe -- erroneously -- that the Mormon religion is "not Christian," and are also more likely to say that Mormonism would deter them from voting for Romney. While 3 percent of these evangelicals say Romney's Mormon faith improves their likelihood of voting for him, 15 percent say it makes their vote less likely.
The trend is most pronounced among evangelical
However, should Romney win the nomination, he would likely regain much of that support. Among Republican or leaning-Republican voters, 91 percent of white evangelicals say they would vote for Romney over President Obama next year, including 79 percent who say they would back Romney "strongly." According to Dimock, antipathy toward Obama is the decisive factor here.
"The people for whom [Romney's] faith is a potential sticking point are so anti-Obama that that's the bigger factor. The very same people for whom Mormonism is maybe of some concern are the same people who most vigorously oppose Obama," he says.
Romney's faith may very well be a larger issue for him than for other Republican candidates, but his faith is still not even on the radar of many Republican voters. Of all Republican or leaning-Republican voters polled, only 56 percent know that Romney is Mormon.
According to Dimock, that proportion would undoubtedly grow if Romney won the nomination, due to increased media attention and public curiosity, but the share who take issue with his faith might not grow.
"There's another half of voters out there who if he becomes the nominee more than likely will find out about [his faith]." Whether there is a potential downside there for Romney is "hard to know definitively," Dimock adds, but the Pew poll provides some insight. "What this report suggests is people for whom it probably matters the most probably are already aware because they're politically engaged and active."
Though party may trump faith in the general election, there are still plenty of indications that Mormonism could remain a fraught topic throughout Romney's campaign. His Mormon faith stirred controversy at the
Values Voters Summit in October, at which Rev. Robert Jeffress, a Texas pastor who introduced Texas Gov. and presidential candidate Rick Perry, called the
Dimock also stresses the difference between voters simply turning out for Romney and supporting him enthusiastically. "Will they get activated in terms of campaign donations? Will they be so excited about Romney that they will get really out there? That's a little hard to say."
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Romney's Mormon Faith Likely a Minor Issue in General Election | Politics
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