Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a “Latter-day Saints for Trump” coalition less than a month before Election Day, as his campaign seeks to shore up support among a key voting bloc where refugees could be particularly damaging in key western battlegrounds.
The coalition’s leaders include four prominent Utah Republicans: Sen. Mike Lee, Rep. Celeste Maloy, Rep. Burgess Owens and state Attorney General Sean Reyes.
Lee said Trump has ensured that “Latter-day Saints and people of all faiths can worship freely and live out our beliefs,” adding, “His dedication to life and protecting the unborn has strengthened the foundations of our families, and his leadership is exactly what we believe will keep us strong and What does America need to protect the rights given by the God who set us free”.
Although the church’s home is in Utah, which has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964, Arizona has a significant Latter-day Saint population — more than 442,879, according to the church. Joe Biden won Arizona in 2020 by 11,000 votes.
Exit poll shows Biden won 18% of the LDS vote in Arizona, a significant departure from the staunchly conservative denomination based on traditional family values. Latter-day Saint voters’ continued support for GOP candidates has long helped keep Utah and Idaho — the states with the largest share of LDS voters — impenetrably red on election night.
Arizona Republicans who have signed on to the Trump-LDS coalition include Rep. Andy Biggs, who ran an unsuccessful Senate campaign this year, and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb.
Lamb said he believes Trump will protect his religious freedom and his right to “raise and protect” his family.
Trump plans to hold a roundtable with Latter-day Saint leaders in Arizona on Sunday, a campaign aide said.
Some LDS voters resented Trump, citing his often divisive political style as well as his attacks on immigrants and refugees, which conflicted with the denomination’s ministry and culture.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign sought to capitalize on societal tensions and build a permit structure to support her by focusing instead on character and a more moderate personal—politically progressive—style.
The Harris campaign hosts the “Latter-day Saints for Harris-Waltz” coalition on its website and has been activated an advisory committee in Arizona last month. The Democratic campaign also organized an LDS coalition in Nevada this week.
Others who have signed on to the new Trump-LDS coalition include retired church general Robert Oaks, a retired Air Force four-star general; conservative media commentator Glenn Beck; and entertainment personalities the Diesel Brothers.
In another sign of his growing influence within the Trump campaign, a campaign aide told NBC News that Donald Trump Jr. He was a key figure in building the LDS coalition for Trump and said he has strong ties to members of the Mormon community.