Mitt Romney, Mormonism, and the 2012 Election

247 Pages·2014·1.229 MB·English

by  Luke Perry (auth.)

Palgrave Studies in Religion, Politics, and Policy
Series Editors: Ted G. Jelen and Mark J. Rozell
A generation ago, many social scientists regarded religion as an anachronism, whose
social, economic, and political importance would inevitably wane and disappear in the
face of the inexorable forces of modernity. Of course, nothing of the sort has occurred;
indeed, the public role of religion is resurgent in US domestic politics, in other nations,
and in the international arena. Today, religion is widely acknowledged to be a key variable
in candidate nominations, platforms, and elections; it is recognized as a major influence
on domestic and foreign policies. National religious movements as diverse as the Christian
Right in the United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan are important factors in the
internal politics of particular nations. Moreover, such transnational religious actors as
Al-Qaeda, Falun Gong, and the Vatican have had important effects on the politics and
policies of nations around the world.
Palgrave Studies in Religion, Politics, and Policy serves a growing niche in the discipline of
political science. This subfield has proliferated rapidly during the past two decades, and has
generated an enormous amount of scholarly studies and journalistic coverage. Five years ago,
the journal Politics and Religion was created; in addition, works relating to religion and poli-
tics have been the subject of many articles in more general academic journals. The number
of books and monographs on religion and politics has increased tremendously. In the past,
many social scientists dismissed religion as a key variable in politics and government.
This series casts a broad net over the subfield, providing opportunities for scholars at all lev-
els to publish their works with Palgrave. The series publishes monographs in all subfields of
political science, including American politics, public policy, public law, comparative politics,
international relations, and political theory.
The principal focus of the series is the public role of religion. “Religion” is construed broadly
to include public opinion, religious institutions, and the legal frameworks under which
religious politics are practiced. The “dependent variable” in which we are interested is politics,
defined broadly to include analyses of the public sources and consequences of religious belief
and behavior. These would include matters of public policy, as well as variations in the prac-
tice of political life. We welcome a diverse range of methodological perspectives, provided
that the approaches taken are intellectually rigorous.
The series does not deal with works of theology, in that arguments about the validity or
utility of religious beliefs are not a part of the series focus. Similarly, the authors of works
about the private or personal consequences of religious belief and behavior, such as personal
happiness, mental health, or family dysfunction, should seek other outlets for their writings.
Although historical perspectives can often illuminate our understanding of modern politi-
cal phenomena, our focus in the Religion, Politics, and Policy series is on the relationship
between the sacred and the political in contemporary societies.
The Catholic Church in Polish History: Politics, Religion, and Cultural Resistance
By Sabrina P. Ramet
Global Religions and International Relations: A Diplomatic Perspective
By Pasquale Ferrara
Beyond Religious Right and Secular Left Rhetoric: The Road to Compromise
By Karin Fry
Christianity in Chinese Public Life: Religion, Society, and the Rule of Law
Edited by Joel A. Carpenter and Kevin R. den Dulk
Mitt Romney, Mormonism, and the 2012 Election
By Luke Perry
Mitt Romney,
Mormonism, and
the 2012 Election
Luke Perry
MITT ROMNE,Y MORMONIS, MAND THE 2012 ELECTION
Copyright © Luke Perry, 2014.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-36074-8
All rights reserved.
First published in 2014 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States— a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-47201-7 ISBN 978-1-137-36082-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137360823
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Perry, Luke.
Mitt Romney, Mormonism, and the 2012 election / by Luke Perry.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Romney, Mitt. 2. Presidential candidates—United States—Biography.
3. Mormons—United States—Biography. 4. Presidents—United States—
Election—2012. 5. Mormonism—Political aspects—United States.
6. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—Political activity.
7. Mormon Church—Political activity. 8. United States—Politics
and government. I. Title.
E901.1.R66P47 2014
324.973(cid:25)0932—dc23 2014003351
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: August 2014
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
List of Tables vii
Acknowledgments ix
1 Introducing the 2012 Presidential Election 1
2 Basic Elements of Mormonism 15
3 Born in the U.S.A. 33
4 The Mormon Moment 65
5 The Rise of Romney 85
6 Prophets and Presidents 113
7 LDS Political Advocacy 139
8 Who Won and Why 167
9 Forward 191
Notes 205
v
This page intentionally left blank
Tables
3.1 Friendship among Mormons 35
3.2 Mormonism and the media 36
3.3 Mormonism and Christianity 50
3.4 Importance of Religion 51
3.5 Mormons and Prayer 51
3.6 Mormons and Religious Worship 52
3.7 Religious commitment 52
3.8 Life goals among Mormons 54
3.9 Preferred marriage arrangements among
Mormons 55
3.10 Discrimination against Mormons compared
with others 56
3.11 Political ideology among Mormons 57
3.12 Partisanship among Mormons 57
3.13 Party Views of friendliness toward
Mormonism among Mormons 58
3.14 Views on size of government among
Mormons 59
3.15 Mormon views on social issues 60
4.1 Essentials of being a good Mormon 71
4.2 Knowledge of Mormon religion before and
after the election 82
6.1 Knowledge of Romney’s religion among
registered voters 122
6.2 General influence of religion on voting 123
6.3 Influence of Romney’s religion 123
6.4 Willingness of Americans to vote for
a Mormon presidential candidate 124
6.5 Voter comfort levels 125
vii
viii Tables
6.6 Favorability ratings among registered Mormon voters 126
6.7 Favorability ratings among registered Mormon voters
sorted by partisanship 126
6.8 Romney’s favorability in 2008 and 2011 127
6.9 Perceptions of Romney 128
8.1 Voting sorted by economic assessment 176
8.2 Percent of white vote won by Republican presidential
candidates 178
8.3 Race and ethnicity as percent of the electorate 179
8.4 Percentage of votes won by Democratic presidential
candidates 180
8.5 Voting by religious activity in 2012 181
8.6 Voting by age in 2012 182
8.7 Voting by income in 2012 183
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my wife Janelle for enduring the
many long hours I devoted to this book and my two-year-
old daughter Annalise for humoring me in countless ways,
including her persistent belief that I was in fact writing a
book about Barack Obama, who supposedly I work with,
and pronouncing “Romney” in such an adorable way.
I would like to thank my Mom, Diane Perry, for teach-
ing me how to pay attention to detail, to be unwavering
in my determination, and to be confident without taking
myself too seriously. I would like to thank my Dad, Chad
Perry, for instilling me with a love for learning and teach-
ing me how to stay calm, effectively communicate, and
analyze behavior. I would not be who I am today without
such devoted, loving, and patient parents.
I would like to thank the countless teachers, mentors,
and scholars who have nurtured and enhanced my studies
and scholarship. This includes, but is certainly not limited
to, Melvin Kulbicki, who inspired my interest in American
politics, Mary Graham, who introduced me to scholarly
writing, Alana Jeydel, who guided me to graduate school,
Jerry Mileur, who gave me the professional opportunity
of a lifetime, and Jeffrey Sedgwick, who taught me the
value of patient and reasoned deliberation. This book in
particular benefited from the kindness, generosity, and
knowledge of many people, including Richard Bushman,
Patrick Mason, Matthew Bowman, Orrin Hatch, Joanna
Brooks, Michael Leavitt, and Randy Allen.
ix