The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, better known as the Mormon Church, declined to endorse a candidate in this Presidential election, though its membership has long been associated with the Republican party. Recent trends suggest this political tie is loosening.
The reason, essentially, is Donald Trump.
“A character crisis around Trump has caused a significant number of Latter Day Saints to consider voting Democrat this year,” said Kathleen Flake, professor of Mormon Studies at University of Virginia.
In 2023, the American Survey Center reported that 51% of LDS members held negative views of Trump. At the same time, 2024 data from the Pew Research Center suggests three quarters of Mormon voters still identify as Republicans.
The question of whether or not loyalty to the GOP will outweigh Mormons’ negative opinions of Trump in this election has spurred both presidential candidates’ fight for the LDS community’s vote, especially in swing states like Arizona.
According to Dr. Flake, the LDS community gravitates toward the GOP because of its shared values, including an emphasis on family, respect for law and order, and reverence for the constitution. Yet, owing to the Mormons’ history of religious persecution and the fact that more than half its members live outside the United States, Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric and anti-immigration stance could alienate members of the Church.
Trump’s opposition to abortion and traditional views on marriage are a sticking point for some Latter Day Saints, despite the fact the Church allows abortion in the case of fatal fetal deformity, rape and incest, or if the mother’s life is at stake. In fact, Trump’s conservative stance on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage does not resonate for some churchgoers like Stephanie Dowdle, 31, and her husband, Brian Mann, 34 of Manhattan’s 2nd ward, who plan to vote for Harris. Not only do they disagree with many of Trump’s policies, but Mann also added that he believes Harris will better protect democracy.
Though the Church of Latter Day Saints is known to be thought of as an insular and ultra-conservative group, wards vary in their political views by region. Leslie-Grace West, 26, is originally from North Carolina but now belongs to Manhattan’s 2nd ward. She described her hometown as largely conservative.
“They’re stuck in their ways, and not open to new ideas,” she said, comparing her old ward to her current one.
Though West was hesitant to affiliate with either party, she stopped caring what people assumed about her and is voting for Harris.
“To me, being liberal means caring about people over taxes,” she said.
For LDS members like Allyson Reynolds, 53 of central Minnesota, the Democratic party’s stance on social issues aligns more with the teachings of the Church. A lifelong Republican, Reynolds voted blue for the first time in the 2020 election.
“Donald Trump himself, and then George Floyd’s murder and the fact Republicans were more concerned about property damage and riots rather than systemic racism shifted me in 2020,” Reynolds said. “I’ve been a full-on Democrat ever since.”
Reynolds added that her children opened her eyes on issues related to the LGBTQ+ community and that in-person estrangement from the Church during the pandemic might have made her more open to discussions on these topics.
“A lot of Christians say they don’t like how [Trump] talks, how he’s abrasive, and that they disagree with his personal morals and values,” Reynolds said. “But because he’s pro-life, they have to stick with him.”
A little over a month ago, Reynolds started an Instagram page dedicated to showing how LDS teachings actually align with the values of the Democratic party in hopes of encouraging more members to feel comfortable breaking away from the Republican party.
Reynolds said the LDS community is becoming less opposed to her pro-democratic position as a result of becoming increasingly anti-Trump. Still, Reynolds, like many other Latter Day Saints, keeps her political opinions out of the Church on Sundays.
“It’s not so much that I’m anti-Republican now, or anti-conservative,” Reynolds said. “It’s that the Republican party isn’t conservative anymore– they aren’t even Republican anymore. And people like myself see that as totally antithetical to our faith’s teachings.”
(Photo credit: Shayleah Jenkins)
About the author(s)
Shayleah Jenkins
Shayleah Jenkins is a freelance reporter and M.S. candidate at Columbia Journalism School.