From Deseret News archives:

'Pres. Romney' sounds good to many

4 evangelicals enthused"

Published: Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006 10:52 p.m. MST
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"So much of it comes down to what you believe about the Bible," French said, which can make it hard for evangelicals to vote for a candidate who follows the Book of Mormon as well.

In the Articles of Faith, an LDS statement of primary beliefs, the Bible is accepted as the word of God, insofar as it "is translated correctly." The Bible is one of four books of scripture accepted by the church as its set of "standard works."

The blog's editors highlight the similarities between Romney's stated positions and their own beliefs.

"Funny that the LDS candidate has had the fewest wives," David French said — a reference to the early practice of polygamy in the LDS Church. The practice was banned by the church in 1890.

French pointed to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's very-public divorce from former wife Donna Hanover and his first marriage, which was annulled. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is now married, but his first marriage also ended in divorce. Evangelicals have a heavy emphasis on marriage and family and discourage divorce, as does the LDS faith.

David French noted that any article on Romney will point out he is a Mormon, while other Republican presidential contenders are seldom identified with their religious affiliation.

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Giuliani and McCain, who have yet to formally announce presidential bids though they have set up exploratory committees, are Catholic and Episcopalian, respectively.

The blog even has a section titled "But ... He's Mormon" in the "Why We Support Mitt" portion of the site. He said the same questions came up when President John F. Kennedy, a Catholic, ran for president.

French said that as religions go, the LDS Church is still pretty new and not as mainstream as other religions, although it is among the fastest-growing religions in the world. Many people do not know much about it, which makes Romney's religious affiliation a unique characteristic, compared to the other candidates.

Experience and agendas

The Frenches, along with Charles Mitchell, who works for a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., and Dawn Meling, a business banker in Pittsburgh, started the blog in July, prompted by the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in Tennessee in March.

Romney finished second in a straw poll of potential 2008 contenders, behind Tennessee's own Sen. Bill Frist.

The Frenches helped organize the Romney effort at the conference. David French first heard of Romney while at Harvard Law School when Romney ran against Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., in 1994. He has supported the politician ever since.

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