Paper says Romney's team is enlisting LDS

SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Mitt Romney's political team has quietly consulted with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to map out plans for a nationwide network of LDS supporters to help Romney capture the presidency in 2008, according to interviews and written materials reflecting plans for the initiative.

Over the past two months, Romney's political operatives and church leaders have discussed building a grass-roots political organization using alumni chapters of Brigham Young University's business school around the country. More recently, representatives of BYU, which is run by the church, and Romney's political action committee have begun soliciting help from prominent Mormons, including a well-known author suggested by the governor, to build the program, which Romney advisers dubbed Mutual Values and Priorities, or MVP.

Romney vigorously defended the plan Thursday.

Asked about the Globe report, the governor said it was only natural that he would reach out to as many donors as possible as he eyes a run at the presidency.

"Clearly, I'm going to raise money from people I know, and that includes BYU alums, people of my church, people of other churches, Harvard Business School graduates," Romney said in an interview, as he and Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida campaigned for a Republican candidate for Florida's chief financial officer.

Romney's comments suggest that the fund-raising initiative remained an active effort.

The president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley, has been made aware of the effort and expressed no opposition, the documents show, and at least one other top church official has played a more active role.

Church officials and Romney advisers downplayed the discussions. Church officials say they have a position of strict neutrality on political matters and are not supporting Romney's candidacy.

But documents indicate that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, one of 12 apostles who help lead the church worldwide, has handled the initiative for the Mormons and that he hosted a Sept. 19 meeting about it in his church office in Salt Lake City with Josh Romney, one of the governor's sons; Don Stirling, a paid consultant for the Commonwealth PAC, Romney's political action committee; and Kem Gardner, a prominent Salt Lake City developer who is one of Romney's biggest donors. Globe reporters observed Romney's representatives enter and leave church headquarters for the meeting.

Prior to the Sept. 19 meeting, Gardner had already met with Elder Holland at least once to discuss the initiative, documents show.