Donald Trump Woos Mormons as His Chances of Flipping Arizona Increase

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has intensified efforts to court members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) as part of his push to win the swing state of Arizona, where polling aggregators have him leading.
During a virtual “fireside” event on Sunday, Trump called in by phone to address Mormon supporters, addressing their shared values and asking for their support to secure victory in the Grand Canyon State.
The LDS Church does not endorse political candidates, but on the section of its official webpage about politics, it encourages its members to “engage in the political process in an informed and civil manner,” and to “keep all communications (including on social media) respectful and aligned with Christlike behavior.”
Speaking for roughly 10 minutes during the call, Trump spoke of his intention to stop illegal immigration, the unfairness of Vice President Kamala Harris replacing President Joe Biden midway through the campaign, his record of appointing conservative judges, and his popularity among LDS members, which he claimed was at 90 percent.
He raised issues which he said were important to Mormon voters, who he said “share the same ideas with God-fearing American patriots,” such as the sanctity of family, religious freedom, and conservative values, presenting himself as a defender of those principles.
“We believe that faith in God and our judicial values are essential to a healthy American society,” Trump said, while also praising the Mormon community for its strong family values.
Throughout his address, Trump repeatedly criticized his Democratic opponent, calling her a “Marxist,” who would ban fracking and confiscate guns. Harris has stated she will not do either of those things—fracking and gun confiscation.
“This is very important. We have a person [Harris] that is really not a good person,” Trump said. “She’s not a good person at all. As you know, she’s got a lot of ideas that are not acceptable to you and to me and to everybody, she’s voting Marxist. She’s been a Marxist.”
Several Arizona political figures attended the virtual event including Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. Utah Senator Mike Lee also attended. Utah’s other senator, Republican Mitt Romney, is a critic of Trump.
The event on Sunday came shortly after Trump launched the “Latter-Day Saints for Trump” coalition, which is accompanied by an official website paid for by the Trump campaign.
The website faced some criticism on launch for being out of touch with the group it intended to mobilize due to it selling campaign coffee mugs and beverage coolers. LDS members do not drink coffee nor consume alcohol.
Arizona is home to more than 440,000 Mormons, about 6 percent of its population, many of whom traditionally leaned Republican.
In 2020, Biden won Arizona by a slim margin of around 10,000 votes.
According to recent polls, Trump is now slightly ahead in the state, with major polling aggregators giving him an average leading margin of +1.1 (RealClearPolling) and +1.5 points (FiveThirtyEight).
A New York Times/Sienna College poll released last week gave Trump a 6-point lead over Harris among 808 registered voters in Arizona.
Given the small margin in the polling averages, turnout and support from certain demographics like Mormons could be key in determining the election in the state.
During the 2016 election, Utah, the state with highest proportion of Mormons went red for Trump, but not overwhelmingly, earning him 45 percent of the popular vote in the state in 2016. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won 27 percent of the vote, and Mormon ex-CIA independent candidate Evan McMullin claimed 21 percent.
Polling showed that more than half of LDS members have negative views of Trump.
While the former president’s efforts to woo LDS voters are underway, Harris has not ignored the group.
Her campaign recently launched a Latter-Day Saint advisory committee in Arizona, signaling her intention to challenge Trump for the influential voter base. A group has also been set up called “Latter-Day Saints for Harris-Walz”
Newsweek has contacted the Trump and Harris campaigns via email for comment.