LDS Political Identity

Having Mitt Romney as the Republican candidate for president has given a lot of attention to Mormons and added to the question of whether or not we are all of the same political identity. It seems as if those outside of the Church safely assume that Mormons, at least those in the United States, are far more conservative than liberal. But is there one distinct identity that that every Mormon can fit into?

I would have to say no- at least not one distinct identity. Having lived my entire life in Utah I am well aware that most Mormons, at least around here, are Republican. I was never surprised to hear of members being Democrats however. Both my parents are staunch Republicans, but most of my siblings (who are active members) are Democrats. It was obvious that several ward members were Democrats and while they were not shunned, people were not thrilled as they were pictured in the newspaper at a gay pride parade in Salt Lake. There is a tendency towards conservatism, but there are clearly some members who are not. I would not say that there is a distinct LDS political identity, but it definitely leans in one direction.

The Church is adamant about being politically neutral. They do not endorse, promote, or oppose candidates (Political Neutrality). Making this statement does help in the debate of why a political identity is absent. The presidency of the Church encourages us to vote, but not who to vote for.

Religion does have a large impact on how we vote because it is directly linked to our standards and beliefs, but that does not mean that Mormon Democrats are worse than Republicans. One question asked in the Utah College Exit Poll done in 2008 was whether or not Democrats can be good Mormons. Results show that 89% of people think Utah Democrats can also successfully be Mormon (Brown). From this poll we can see that Utahans do not think that there is a single identity that fits for all Mormons.

The conservative identity associated with Mormons is likely primordial. This theory states that we are born with our identities or that they are developed very early in life. The flip side of this would be the constructivist theory that wants to prove that people are constantly shaping their identities (Samuels 160). The first theory, primordialism, explains how most Latter Day Saints are conservative because parents instill those values in their children and the Church seems to follow them more closely. Mormons become Democrats through what happens in their lives, who they know, and where they live. These theories are similar to the nature versus nurture debate. The first is about being born one way and the latter is about changes that can be made throughout life.

These theories show that no matter your religion you can be a member of either political party. Mormons may lean to one side but that does not mean that there is a distinct political identity. An article of earlier this year in The New York Times discussed the political situation with an African American Mormon Democrat. She said, “The minority Mormon voices are becoming more assertive, perhaps because of the strength of their growing numbers…a small but emerging point of view that is in stark contrast to the traditional profile of American Latter-day Saints, who tend to be conservative, Republican and white” (Saulny) . There is a majority identity, but there is a growing number of Democratic Mormons and a singular conservative political identity cannot describe all members of the Church.

 

Brown, Adam. "Can a Good Mormon be a Good Democrat?" 2010. Utah Data Points.

"Political Identity." n.d. Mormon Newsroom. www.mormonnewsroom.org.

Samuels, David J. Comparative Politics. Boston: Pearson Education, 2013. Print.

Saulny, Susan. "Black Mormons and the Politics of Identity." The New York Times 22 May 2012.