Vice President Kamala Harris aims to win over Mormon voters in Arizona by appealing to shared values, challenging Trump’s alignment with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As the 2024 election approaches, Vice President Kamala Harris is intensifying outreach efforts to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Arizona, a key battleground state. Harris’s campaign has enlisted prominent LDS members to highlight contrasts between Donald Trump’s behavior and the church’s values, such as humility and morality. While Mormons traditionally vote Republican, Harris seeks to attract a small but crucial share of LDS voters, especially in areas like Mesa, where the LDS community has deep roots.
Arizona’s LDS population, around 450,000 members or 6% of the state’s population, could influence the outcome of the election in a state known for tight races. Harris’s approach focuses on principles such as the Constitution being divinely inspired—a key tenet of LDS faith—and emphasizes that Trump’s actions, particularly surrounding January 6, are at odds with those beliefs. Though many conservative religious voters have supported Trump, his personal behavior and past conflicts with LDS figures like Sen. Mitt Romney and former Sen. Jeff Flake continue to hinder his appeal among some church members.
Harris’s strategy echoes efforts by past Democratic campaigns, with a special emphasis on winning over younger, more diverse LDS voters.
