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The Mormon Moment—a term coined to describe a period about a decade ago when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints supposedly entered public consciousness in the United States due to a Latter-Day Saint presidential candidate and a Broadway musical—did not increase public awareness of Latter-day Saints, as might be supposed. In a 2007 survey, half of Americans said they knew at least some things about the Mormon religion. That was before Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in 2012. But even after his campaign, knowledge of the church had not increased. However, that second Pew Research Center survey found that attitudes toward the church had softened. For example, Americans were more likely to use positive terms to describe Latter-Day Saints such as “dedicated,” “friendly,” or “good people.”[1]

That shift might be viewed as an opening for Latter-day Saints to enter politics and be elected to offices outside of areas where the church is better known, such as the eastern and midwestern United States. Latter-day Saint politicians might be able to take advantage of this attitudinal change among those who know little about the church. It may help them explain the church or even be able to spend less time talking about their religious views.

However, as mentioned in the introduction, the opposite has occurred. Latter-day Saints are not taking advantage of that opening. Fewer Latter-day Saints serve in high-profile offices outside Utah than did so a decade or two ago. The consequence may be lessened influence for the church in government and a missed opportunity to use governmental figures to soften American attitudes toward the church. Perhaps more troubling, if Latter-day Saint politicians are associated with political extremism, the church’s image may be worse. For example, two Latter-day Saint members of Congress were involved in promoting the false accusation that there was massive electoral fraud in the 2020 US presidential election and were working to overturn that election.[2]

The interviews in this section offer a sample of those who have served (or do now serve) in elective office within the US but not in the Western continental US. The four politicians include three Republicans and one Democrat. They range in the level of government office from Congress to city council.

These politicians discuss how they balance church callings and public service. Several held time-consuming church callings while in elective office. They also explain their choice of party affiliation within the US context and whether church teachings affected that choice. And they reveal how their religious beliefs affect their approach to their office. Some also discuss reactions of others to the fact that they were a Latter-day Saint and how that affected their elections and public service.

Notes

[1] Tom Rosensteil, “Public Opinion About Mormons,” Pew Research Center, December 4, 2007, ; “Americans Learned Little about the Mormon Faith, but Some Attitudes Have Softened,” Pew Research Center, December 14, 2012, .

[2] Kyle Cheney, “‘Stop the Steal’ Founder Told January 6 Committee about Contacts with GOP Lawmakers,” Politico, December 18, 2021, ; Mariana Alfaro, “Lee Worked Hard to Overturn Election, Keep Trump in Power, Texts Show,” Washington Post, April 15, 2022, .