This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I've heard from a few people who don't care for the way the national [and Canadian] press is talking about Mormons and Utahns as if those were totally interchangeable terms. They aren't. Especially in Salt Lake City.
But most voters, especially most active voters, in this reddest of states are, indeed, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And when they go rogue, Utah is in play.
— Why Donald Trump personifies what Mormons don't believe in — Erasmus and H.G. | Reporting from Salt Lake City | The Economist
" ... But among devout, conservative and tradition-minded voters, there is one big exception, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Compared with other pious citizens, the Mormons are not tempted by Donald Trump, and their heartland, Utah, is the only state where a third candidate has a chance of doing better than both him and Hillary Clinton. What's more, Mormons link their aversion to Mr Trump to particular aspects of their faith, ethos and collective memory. Above all, they are wary of a candidate who, even subliminally, plays on prejudices against vulnerable minorities. ..."
— Utah is the political conscience of the nation — Noah Feldman | Bloomberg View | The Salt Lake Tribune
" ... Mormons' moral consistency has been striking when compared with other religious Republicans. Values evangelicals like the Family Research Council have continued to support Trump despite the mounting evidence that he doesn't share their ethical or religious values. Some have tried suggesting he's had a Christian conversion — but there's no indication that he's undergone a spiritual transformation from the man he has been for the last three or four decades. ..."
— Utah emerges as conscience of Republican Party — Joanna Slater | The Globe and Mail [Toronto, Canada]
" ... The enthusiasm for Mr. McMullin is more palpable up the road at Brigham Young University. It's owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church, and nearly all the students are Mormon. As bells peal from a tower and crisp autumn air flows down from the Wasatch mountain range, the grubbiness of the presidential race feels far away. ..."
— Meet the 'unknown Mormon' who could take Utah from Trump and Clinton — David Sawler | The Telegraph
" ... 'If Mormons are not the exact opposite of Trump, they would at least aspire to be,' says Quin Monson, a professor of political science at Brigham Young University, citing Trump's 73-per-cent disapproval rate among Mormons. ..."
— Only in Utah — Elizabeth Williamson | The New York Times
" ... Mr. McMullin is a smart, affable, traditional conservative whose suspicion of the federal government mirrors public views in Utah. More than half of Utah's voters, including Mr. McMullin himself, are Mormon, a religious minority particularly offended by Mr. Trump's proposed ban of Muslim immigrants. ..."
— How Evan McMullin Could Win Utah And The Presidency — Benjamin Morris | FiveThirtyEight
" ... It would take a fascinating scenario — in which much of the technical detail of how we select presidents comes into play — for McMullin to be sworn in as the 45th president, but the chances of its happening are slim, not none. Indeed, his chances of at least making things very interesting may be as high as 1 to 3 percent — about the same as the odds of the Cubs' coming back to beat the Giants ..."
— Utah's Top Mormons in 'All-Out Revolt' Against Donald Trump — Michael Schwirtz | The New York Times
" ... for Utah Republicans and especially Mormons, Mr. Trump's candidacy has been a source of anguish. Many find his boasts of philandering and adultery deeply disturbing. In an uncharacteristically pointed speech in March, Mr. Romney, who has been one of Mr. Trump's most strident Republican critics, called the New York businessman a "phony" and a "con man" and criticized his disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants and Muslims. In the Utah Republican primary, Mr. Trump won just 14 percent of the vote. ..."
— Why McMullin is a mirage in the Utah desert — John Matthias | For The Salt Lake Tribune
" ... With a promise of safety within the current political storm, many Mormons are seeking shelter in casting their votes for the nationally unknown Mormon candidate. Unfortunately, McMullin offers the same bewitchment that Falstaff found in Prince Hal so many centuries ago. Running a campaign devoid of any political substance, we are left with only our imagination to fill in the blanks. In nearly every ad or interview that McMullin has conducted he always begins with the trite phrase that 'we need a new generation of leaders.'..."
— In playground full of bullies, McMullin shows character — Jacalyn Hudson Miller | For The Salt Lake Tribune
" ... So forgive me, a born-and-bred Canadian and only recent American, for speaking up. I don't know much about U.S. politics, but I know a good man when I see and hear him. And Evan McMullin is a supremely good man."
— Evan McMullin gets new support — Jennifer Rubin | The Washington Post | Salt Lake Tribune
" ... As the race's outcome becomes a foregone conclusion, McMullin's appeal may increase. From his point of view, it's the beginning of something better on the right, a new conservative movement, after arguably the most distressing election ever for the GOP. In Utah on Friday, before 700 people, he declared, 'I believe, no matter what happens on Nov. 8, if we can send a strong message here from Utah and from the broader Mountain West, it will change the discussion in Washington. It very well may change the direction of this country.'..."