Evaluating Presidential Candidates
New Poll: 72% Would Vote for Mormon President
A new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows that the country may be more willing to vote for a qualified Mormon candidate for president than was reported in the past. Last year a Los Angeles Times/Boomberg poll found that 37% said they would not vote for a Mormon for president but USA TODAY reports this morning that “72% say they would vote for a qualified nominee who is Mormon. That compares with 94% for a black nominee and 88% for a female nominee.” So while Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama still have the advantage, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney may not be as far out of White House range as previously thought.
Being Catholic probably had little influence on how JFK discharged his duties as President. Being Mormon would probably cause Mitt Romney no more difficulty. Are we really concerned about the religious beliefs of any candidate? Maybe if we are single issue voters or have a religious wish list. Who can recite the religious affiliation of Presidents, say over the last 50 years? When has anyone defended a preference for a religious slant in a candidate by offering evidence of its effect on former Presidents?
Recently, Romney made the news with a question on his views concerning abortion. A potential weakness of Romney to win votes from abortion proponents or opponents is not exclusively a religious predisposition. You can be an atheist or agnostic and have an opinion on abortion. As people form opinions on Mitt Romney’s history and his campaign’s degree of effectiveness is where the question of Romney for President will be determined. Just like it will be for any other candidate.
Stanford Matthews
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