Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier, IA
08-19-07
Will Americans elect a Mormon president?
By JENS MANUEL KROGSTAD, Courier Staff Writer
WATERLOO --- On nearly every level, Mitt Romney the candidate appears to have it all.
Women swoon over the trim and handsome figure. His business savvy and leadership of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic games impresses. His personal life is above reproach --- by all accounts he's been faithfully married to his high school sweetheart since 1968.
And despite conservative fiscal and social credentials, his election as governor in the Democratic stronghold of Massachusetts suggests an ability to win and a willingness to reach across the political aisle.
Romney, 60, has put himself in a strong position to claim the Republican presidential nomination in Iowa: He leads most Iowa polls and he just won the
Iowa Straw Poll.
There is just one thing --- you may have heard Romney is Mormon.
Some political insiders and observers say his faith is not a serious political problem --- there is no religious test for the office of president, and Romney has proven a capable leader. Even many conservative religious voters are apparently more concerned with his stances on social issues than theological differences.
"I'm a Catholic, and I remember 40 years ago with (Kennedy) that being an issue.
From that perspective, I have more of an attitude that that's not an issue anymore," says Steven Schmitt, chairman of Black Hawk County Republicans.
In the faith community, many echo the sentiments of Rich Van Heukelum, senior pastor at Walnut Ridge Baptist Church in Waterloo. He said even though he considers the Mormon faith a cult, "I think in politics, candidates don't have to line up on everything we believe theologically."
But to say Romney's faith is a non-issue ignores the whispers and innuendo of opposing campaigns and of some voters, who are afraid to speak publicly for fear of accusations of religious bigotry.
"Without saying it overtly, all of his adversaries are sort of dropping hints. 'Well, do you really want to have a Mormon?' There is an effort to make it an issue," said Steffen Schmidt, a political science professor at Iowa State University .

Efforts to exploit Romney's faith as a weakness have already surfaced. In June, the Boston Globe reported on Chad Workman, the Warren County chairman for
Sen. John McCain's campaign. Workman questioned if Mormons are Christians at a GOP gathering in April. The article also said Workman cited an article charging the Mormon church helps fund Hamas militants and compared the church's treatment of women to the Taliban.
Also in June, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas apologized to Romney for an email sent by an Iowa volunteer deriding Mormons.
And in May, Al Sharpton apologized after a speech at the New York Public
Library in which he said, "As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that. That's a temporary situation."
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church's formal name, will be the subject of a movie released this week. "September Dawn" tells the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, where a group of Mormons and
American Indians slaughtered more than 120 settlers traveling through Utah
Territory on Sept. 11, 1857.
The movie depicts former Mormon church President Brigham Young's alleged involvement in the killings. The church denies Young's direct participation based on historical evidence.
Evangelicals
In wooing Iowa's social and religious conservatives, Romney walks a tightrope.
One misstep when talking about his faith --- or a successful attack from an opponent --- could mean a political fall.
"Romney is publicly courting people who believe religion should play a greater role in politics. The contradiction is these same folks aren't quite comfortable with
Romney's faith tradition," said Dennis Goldford, a politic science professor at
Drake University.
So far, Romney seems to satisfy most concerns conservative Christian voters have on social issues. The Rev. Don Cox, who leads the Celebration Assembly of God in Waterloo, is pleased with Romney's steadfast opposition to gay marriage. Though Romney's been accused of changing positions on abortion,
Cox said he believes Romney's transformation on the issue is real.
Given that, Cox said if Romney were the Republican presidential nominee, he

would vote for him, though he would "feel very sad about it" because he doesn't consider Romney a Christian.
Apparently not everyone will be as forgiving. Cox acknowledged some evangelical Christians are so concerned about the leading 2008 Republican presidential candidates that they would rather stay home than vote for Romney or Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani is Catholic but has been married three times and supported abortion rights and gay marriage in the past.
"A lot of strong evangelicals say this may be the most difficult election for the true evangelical. They're already kind of sick about it," Cox said.
Schmidt, the professor at Iowa State University, isn't convinced enough voters exist who would rather stay home than vote for a Mormon to derail Romney's chances. He estimated about 15 to 20 percent of caucus-going Republicans would support someone else because of Romney's faith.
Last year, 66 percent of people questioned in a Gallup poll said they feel the U.S. is not "ready'' for a Mormon president.
A February Gallup poll paints a rosier picture for Romney: 24 percent of respondents said they wouldn't vote for a Mormon as president; 72 percent said they would. The same poll indicated Giuliani might have a more difficult time being elected --- 30 percent said they wouldn't vote for someone who has been married three times.
Straw poll
In Iowa, there are chinks in Romney's armor beyond his faith.
Goldford, the professor at Drake, said he doesn't believe the Iowa Straw Poll, which Romney won with nearly 32 percent of the vote, represents a significant victory. Just 14,302 people cast votes --- 9,000 fewer than at the last straw poll in
1999 --- and those votes represented only about 2.5 percent of the state's registered Republicans.
In addition, Giuliani, McCain and Fred Thompson did not participate in the straw poll, and two candidates positioning themselves as conservative evangelical alternatives fared well. Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback finished second and third, respectively. Their combined vote totals, about 33 percent, exceeded
Romney's results.
"This tells me Republicans are not terribly enthused. He had 68 percent of turnout preferring second-tier candidates," Goldford said.
Despite these weaknesses, most agree Romney has thus far his presented his

Mormon beliefs to faith and values voters successfully.
"If the question of Mormonism was a really serious issue, he would have already gotten stuck or would be sliding backwards," Schmidt said.
Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com
.