They are Mormon Democrats in an overwhelmingly Republican state.

Despite repeated statements of political neutrality from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDS followers are now inexorably tied to Republican politics. Exit polls after elections show that an overwhelming majority of active Mormons are conservative politically.

But one day, a member of the LDS Church will not automatically be assumed to vote Republican. At least that is the view of six Mormon Democrats who discussed their place in the political spectrum during a Friday session of the Sunstone Conference, which delves into a variety of issues involving Mormon faith and life.

They acknowledged it may take a wholesale shift in the image of the Democratic Party to make it happen.

Eric Samuelsen, a playwright from Brigham Young University, said he feels "an increasing amount of cognitive dissonance" from some of his more conservative neighbors in Provo, primarily over their misgivings on the reasons the United States went to war in Iraq. But he says they still are unwilling to consider supporting a Democrat for one clear reason: "They don't see Democrats as a viable option because of moral issues."

"Mormons are not as interested in politics as they are in morals," Samuelsen said. And he believes the Republicans control the moral debate right now, focusing on key wedge issues such as gay marriage, abortion and gun rights.

His solution is to argue that Mormons have "a moral imperative" to protect the environment, help the poor and needy and oppose proactive wars - issues that favor the Democrats.

Scott Howell, a former state senator who now lives in Sacramento, Calif., said "I am a Democrat because of my faith." He said the LDS Church taught him "social justice, keeping the family strong, and on abortion, making it safe, rare and legal."

He also decried political statements made during LDS services.

"The church is not a place to hold public debates," he said. "The church is there for spiritual growth."

Howell and current state Rep. Pat Jones, D-Holladay, said more liberal Mormons must speak up and show their faith is not so politically monolithic.

"It is important that we are not ashamed of who we are," Jones said.

While still a fairly small group, a few Mormon Democrats hold high elective office. In Utah, U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson is LDS, as are state Sen. Karen Hale and state Reps. Brad King, Karen Morgan and Jones, among others. On the national stage, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada holds the highest congressional leadership post ever occupied by a Mormon.

"We're not extinct," Howell said. "We just have to have more leaders step forward."