As an LDS Democrat, I was disheartened but not surprised to see that the majority of Latter-day Saints again voted for Donald Trump.
In pre-election conversations, some of my LDS neighbors acknowledged that Trump is a liar, adulterer, lawbreaker and bully, but followed up with, “But I just can’t bring myself to vote for a Democrat.”
How did Latter-day Saints become so blindly allegiant to the Republican Party? Historians trace the trend to church leaders of the 1960s and ’70s who felt threatened by the women’s and gay rights movements and opposed the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1974, Ezra Taft Benson, then-president of the Quorum of the Twelve, was quoted as saying that a good Mormon, “if he is to follow the gospel,” cannot be a liberal Democrat, and countless bishops and stake presidents have preached the same message from the pulpit ever since.
In my lifetime, the church has entered the political arena on the side of multiple “Republican” causes (e.g., opposing same-sex marriage, abortion and medical marijuana), but has remained largely silent on issues important to Democrats — combating pollution and climate change; ensuring the poor have access to health care, housing, education, and a living wage; and stemming the spread of COVID-19.
Church-owned media outlets have also played a role. For decades, the Deseret News endorsed mostly right-wing politicians and causes, and Deseret Book’s display windows were filled with books by Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck blaming the world’s problems on Democrats.
The church has explicitly or implicitly told its members to vote Republican for so long that its occasional statements that “Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in the platforms of many political parties” are clearly of little effect.
What is needed, for starters, is for the church to come out and say, “It’s OK to vote for Democrats.” Please, just say the “D” word. It might actually make a difference.
Blair Bateman, Provo