“I would make the most forceful statement possible that there is no place in American life for that, much less politics,” McCain said. “I condemn it. And if anyone is identified to me as engaging in it, I will personally confront them.”

South Carolina state Rep. Gloria Haskins, who backs McCain, has raised concerns about the Mormon faith in media interviews. The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., reported in January that the McCain camp once circulated comments from evangelical leader James Dobson questioning any presidential candidate who is a member of the LDS Church.

Haskins - who has endorsed McCain but is not a paid staffer or spokeswoman for the campaign - told National Public Radio in February that Romney's Mormon faith is a "big thing" for her.

"His faith is inconsistent with my faith," she said. "His faith is consistent with the Book of Mormon; my faith is consistent with God's word, the Bible. And they're not compatible."

- Matthew D. LaPlante