With Romney out, Utahns in quandary

LDS Church members gamely took it on the chin during Mitt Romney's failed attempt to win the Republican presidential nomination.

National polls early in the campaign revealed Americans to have reservations about a Mormon as president. Anti-Mormon sentiment, especially among evangelical Christians, ran high. At least one Republican candidate and another's mother took swipes at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its beliefs.

And now that their favored son is out, Mormons, especially those in Utah where Romney ruled, may be in a quandary about where to throw their traditionally conservative support.

"It is complicated for Latter-day Saints given that Utah went 90 percent for Romney in the primary," said Armand Mauss, a Washington State University emeritus social science professor and a Mormon.

Many Mormons interviewed in the past months about why they support Romney insisted his faith alone wasn't the reason they wanted him to become president, citing everything from his family values to his ability to tackle economic issues.

"First and foremost, I support Mitt Romney because I think he's the man with the right qualities," said Utah Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, who traveled to Boston to help raise money for Romney. "Secondarily, he happens to be a Mormon."

Herbert acknowledged that he and other Mormons feel "gratitude and pride" seeing a fellow member of the faith in the national spotlight. But, the lieutenant governor said, Romney's candidacy has also made it clear not everyone is ready for a Mormon leader.

"There is probably also a realization that Mormon bigotry is out there still in the country as we've seen it bubble up. There is still some work to do," he said, to show that Mormons are "acceptable people to be your neighbors and your leaders."

The Washington Post was among several large newspapers Friday that attempted to sum up the rise and fall of Romney and how it effected members of his church. Asked the Post: "So, was it good for Mormons?"

A front page story in the Wall Street Journal headlined "Mormons Dismayed by Harsh Spotlight," noted that Romney's candidacy brought more attention to the LDS Church than it has had in years.

"What the church discovered was not heartening," the story said.

A Gallup Poll last February, just weeks after Romney formally announced his candidacy, found 46 percent of the nation to have an unfavorable view of the LDS Church.

"Something about the Mormon religion apparently disturbs a significant portion of the American population," the Gallup News Service wrote.