Primordialist Republicans to Constructivist Moderates

Blog 5: Political Identity
Jeff Merrell

Call me crazy, but I believe that the political identity within the U.S. LDS culture is in the early stages of a political flip-flop (flip-flop being something with which Mormons across the United States should be familiar, especially right now).  The traditional political identity within LDS culture, which exists, is one I describe as Primordialist Republican, whereas the new-wave political identity is a Constructivist Moderate approach.  Below is a brief explanation of some key terms and concepts, followed by descriptions of these two LDS political identities.

Foundational Terminology

Mormons.  The term “Mormon” can be used to refer to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, regardless of their location.  For the purposes of this blog, however, “Mormon” will refer to members of the LDS Church who are Americans and/or living in the United States.

Identity.  The ways that individuals categorize themselves, with a resulting feeling of close emotional association.[1]

Political Identity.  Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions.[2]

Primordialism.  Identities that can become political are those formed very early in life or perhaps vaguely racial/genetic.[3]

Constructivism.  Identities (that) are malleable and anything can become politicized.[4]

Primordialist Republicans

“I am voting for a Republican because I’m a Mormon.”  That, or any similar statement, is common within LDS culture (especially in Utah).  In my lifetime, I was always told that we vote for Republicans because that’s what we do and what we have always done.  I believe that Mormons adopted this philosophy of only voting Republican because of some polarizing issues about which the Democratic Party held some positions in direct contradiction to LDS doctrine (e.g., homosexual marriage, women’s reproductive rights, etc.).  Since 1990, the percentage of Utah Mormons who support Republican candidates has increased, and a lot of that increase is as a result of these polarizing issues.[5]

While the early adoption of a “Mormons only vote for Republicans” may have been founded on legitimate concerns with real political and moral issues, I do not necessarily feel that the continuation of this mindset is solely based on those concerns.  My generation of Mormons is full of “Primordialist Republicans” – those whose political identities were formed early in life and based more on tradition than substantive political analysis.

Constructivist Moderates

While most of my generation may still fall within the Primordialist Republican category, it seems as if a shift is taking place.  I would not go as far as to say that Mormons are transitioning from tradition-based Republicans to freshly-converted Democrats, but it is very apparent that Mormons are becoming more so like “Constructivist Moderates.”  Mormons, especially those ages 16-30, seem to be more open to an evolving political identity derived from a sincere analysis of both sides (Republican and Democratic).  It is this willingness to redefine political opinions that has led to a constructivist approach, and it is the willingness to hold beliefs on both sides of the aisle that has led to a growing population of Mormon moderates.

Let’s look at two popular Mormon US politicians for insight as to how this shift may have started.  Based on their political track records, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman have not been the most staunchly Republican governors.  Both politicians most recently shifted to the right politically as they sought the Republican nomination for the US Presidency, but their achievements as governors clearly illustrate moderate views.  Some may say that Romney was moderate because of the dynamics of Massachusetts, but Huntsman does not have that luxury.[6]  Many of Huntsman’s political positions are not right-winged and his extremely high popularity contradicts the thought that Utah Mormons are strictly Republican.

Recent data demonstrates that Mormons are becoming more and more open to left-wing political positions.  Survey data of Utah Mormon voters shows that the percentage of those completely opposed to gay marriage has decreased from 69% in 2004 to 38% in 2012.[7]  That entire 30% gap shifted to being more open to civil unions for gay couples.  Not only does this data demonstrate that the Mormon political identity is malleable and, thus, constructivist, but it also shows that Mormon voters are adopting more moderate positions on what were previously highly polarizing issues.

Conclusion

Yes, there is definitely a political identity among US Mormons.  Few Mormons would state that their religious identity does not affect their voting behavior.  The trend that is being seen, however, is one of a tradition-based Primordialist Republican identity slowly transitioning to a Constructivist Moderate political identity (as described above).

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[1] Course Lecture, PL SC 150.  10 October 2012.

[2] Course Lecture, PL SC 150.  10 October 2012.  See also Samuels, David. Comparative Politics. Pearson Education, Inc., 2013. 149. Print.

[3] Course Lecture, PL SC 150.  10 October 2012.

[4] Course Lecture, PL SC 150.  10 October 2012.

[5] Cherkis, Jason. "Huntsman Was For Health Care Mandate Before He Was Against It." Huffington Post. 20 May 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/20/huntsman-was-for-health-care-mandate_n_864838.html>.

[6] Patterson, Kelly. "Public Opinion on Gay Marriage in Utah." Utah Data Points, 09 Jul 2012. Web. 10 Oct 2012. <http://utahdatapoints.com/>.

[7] Robert, Gehrke. "Survey: Mormons embrace GOP, shun Democrats." Salt Lake Tribune [Salt Lake City] 14 Dec 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home2/53110048-183/mormons-utah-lds-party.html.csp>.  See also Utah Colleges Exit Poll and Utah Voter Poll.