Well, much of the Mormon world -- at least in the U.S. -- is getting excited about the upcoming Romney campaign for president. But can he win? And what are the prospects for some other prominent Mormon politicians?
Mitt Romney -- pulled the 2002 Winter Olympics out of the can, was elected governor in an overwhelmingly liberal Democratic state. Now he's the wunderkind of Mormon politics -- and apparently, increasingly attractive to many Christian conservatives -- and a presidential candidate. But his popularity in Massachussetts, the state that elected him, is pretty low and many voters there accuse him of flip-flopping, especially on abortion.
Mitt Romney's PAC
Americans for Mitt
Harry Reid -- the most powerful man in the U.S. Senate, and the most powerful Mormon politician ever elected in the United States, the new Senate majority leader probably doesn't quite have the charisma to be president. Many Mormons saw Reid's Senate vote against the Federal Marriage Amendment -- an amendment which leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had advocated -- as a betrayal.
Harry Reid's Senate website
New York Times profile of Reid
Orrin Hatch -- senior U.S. senator from Utah, and has held many Senate committee leadership posts. In his most recent Senate campaign, Hatch posted billboards all over Salt Lake and Utah counties touting his "clout." Hatch has attempted a presidential campaign before but didn't make it past the primaries. He's too conservative to prevail in a presidential election, and revelations in The Deseret News last year that Hatch led all senators in accepting donations from makers of alcohol and tobacco -- products from which Mormons abstain -- hurt his credibility with his constituents.
Orrin Hatch's Senate website
Deseret News article on alcohol, tobacco donations to Hatch
Jon Huntsman -- the Utah governor enjoys a famous last name and bipartisan popularity in Utah. He's the chair of the Western Governors' Association. But while Huntsman could bring a unique perspective on "Western" issues -- such as immigration -- to the White House, he might be seen as too much of a regional figure to have a realistic shot.
Wikipedia article on Jon Huntsman
Deseret News article detailing Huntsman's decision to make John McCain, not Romney, for president
Gordon Smith -- the Republican Smith, the senior senator from Oregon, is perhaps the most truly moderate Mormon national politician. He has shown a willingness to reach across the aisle and even to criticize President George W. Bush, notably calling the war in Iraq "possibly criminal." For now, Smith is relatively little known outside Oregon and Washington, but he could be a bridge-builder and a realistic centrist Republican candidate. Interestingly, he has voted to extend government domestic partnership benefits to homosexuals, although he opposes legalizing gay marriage and voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Gordon Smith's Senate website
ABC News story about Smith's Iraq War comments
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Interesting note I heard today, that Huntsman's name is being discussed as a possible VP candidate. I agree that he's too regional to be a viable presidential candidate, but as a VP candidate to someone like Romney he could use his regional weight to pull in the western vote. A cool site to watch is tradesports.com, a kind of betting site that follows a variety of topics like politics. They tend to be fairly accurate in their predictions...
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