The top 10 most famous Mormons in 2008:

1. Mitt Romney
2. Harry Reid
3. David Archuleta
4. Glenn Beck
5. Aaron Eckhart
6. Thomas S. Monson
   
7. Orrin Hatch
8. Gordon Smith
9. Bob Bennett
10. David Neeleman

Romney's political future?

Some Mormons have expressed disappointment over John McCain's choice as running mate: Sarah Palin of Alaska.  Many Latter-day Saints were hoping that McCain would choose former Mass. governor Mitt Romney.  Romney's credentials are somewhat strong, and many speculate that he has a strong political future on the horizon.  

Now that Mitt won't be President of Vice-President (this time, at least), perhaps John McCain--if he wins in Nov. '08-- will recruit him for a cabinet-level position.  With Romney's solid "economic" experience, he could fill positions such as Sec. of Commerce or Sec. of Treasury in a Republican administration.  

Now we'll look to see if there is any room for Mormons in an Obama administration.  Stay tuned.

No Mormon PRESIDENT in 2008, but how about as Vice President???

On the Republican side of the presidential race, there are two prominent Mormon political leaders who are rumored to be on McCain's short list of VP potentials.

To the left above is Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. He is the current governor of Utah and has enjoyed one of the highest approval ratings among American governors this decade. He is a moderate Republican in favor of school vouchers.

On the right above is a guy we all recognize: W. Mitt Romney, ex-savior of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Also, he worked as governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Now, how about among Democrats? Are there any Mormons on Barack Obama's list of potential running mates? I don't think so. The most prominent LDS Democrat is Harry Reid.

Mitt Romney's son may enter politics in 2008

Governor Mitt Romney's son, Josh, may decide to run for Congress in Utah.  If he enters the race, he will challenge incumbent Jim Matheson to represent Utah's 2nd congressional district. (Utah only has 3 congressional districts.) We'll see if Josh Romney actually chooses to run against Jim Matheson... could turn out to be an interesting clash of two influential Mormon political families.  

*** Attention all readers:  Please send me interesting stories about Mormons you see online, in the news, etc. I would love to receive recommended articles and links. Also, please leave comments on the posts in this blog! :)

Anti-Mormon bias & Romney's campaign failure

Many in the Mormon blogosphere are complaining that it has been due to anti-LDS bias that Mitt Romney lost the GOP nomination.  This blog refrains from taking any political positions, but does wish to invite discussion on the topic.  Please leave comments about your feelings on the topic.

Thank you.

Romney campaign machine shutting down

Governor Romney will deliver a speech today in Washington.  In this speech, he will announce that he ending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.  His campaign highlighted Mormonism in politics, seen by most as a positive opportunity for the Church to become better known.

Mormon Open House in Alabama

President James Tate of the Alabama Birmingham Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will sponsor an open house and Q&A session on the Mormon faith in Birmingham, Alabama.  The mission president commented that the presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney has recently prompted more interest about the LDS faith.

The Birmingham First Ward Chapel, 2768 Altadena Road, will have an open house on Sunday, January 27, at 5:30 p.m., with tours and refreshments.

For more information, please contact the Birmingham Mission office at (205) 979-0686

How the West was won . . .

Mitt Romney's victory in Nevada can be partially attributed to the fact that about 25% of GOP primary voters are LDS. Romney has garnered the largest number of delegates in the primaries thus far, and is seen as the front-runner on the Republican side. Over history, a handful of Mormons have run for the American presidency, including Orrin Hatch (career politician and current Senator from Utah) and Joseph Smith, Jr. (former Church president). Now the prospect of a member of the LDS Church actually capturing the Oval Office is a pleasant shock to most American Mormons. From a persecuted group of religious believers to a mainstream American religion with a serious and viable candidate for the presidency, I guess we've come a long way.
As I've mentioned earlier in the blog, Mormons constitute a major voting bloc in the Western United States, and major presidential candidates are wise to court them and attract Latter-day Saints. Now that Nevada, a Western state, hosts its primary races earlier than most, it is an important electoral battleground, where Mormons play a key role. Nevada's Democratic Senator, Harry Reid, it also U.S. Senate Majority Leader. Many other political and public offices in Nevada are held by Mormons, including the mayor of Henderson, Nevada's third largest city.



Disclaimer: The blog does not endorse any candidate, or political party. The coverage of Mitt Romney reflects the interest of the blog's readers, etc. Thank you.

Barack Obama's Mormon Strategy

Latter-day Saints are a significant constituency in many Western states, like Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, California, Washington, and obviously Utah.  Understanding the importance of this significant group, Barack Obama's campaign has plans to attract Mormons in the general election, that is if Governor Romney does not receive his party's nomination. Please check out this article.  Although the Church does not support any political candidate, including Mitt, a large number of Church members in the West have pledged to support Mr. Romney.  But other Mormons are supporting other candidates in both major parties.  There are, in fact, a number of LDS groups caucusing for Barack Obama around the country.  Examples of such support are groups on Facebook, entitled, "Mormons for Obama", or "White Mormon Men for Obama".

 According to some pundits and political strategists, Mormons in general are less likely to support Huckabee or McCain if Romney loses.  The Obama campaign hopes to capitalize on that.

Among elected officials, one of Obama's earliest supporters was Mayor Mufi Hannemann, a Mormon Democrat and mayor of Honolulu, Obama's city of birth.

Mitt Romney wins in Michigan

 Mitt Romney, an LDS politician, has finally won his first primary: in Michigan, his home where his father served as governor for many years.  His campaign has thrown our religion into the limelight of mass media and political pundits.  Now his Michigan victory will give even more attention to the religion of the candidate.

Mormon missionary work in Ventura, California, and Gov. Romney

This article in the Ventura County Star (here in California) discusses the faith of Mitt Romney. 

Few people understand anything about the life of an LDS missionary... this offers some good insight.

The article brings up the point that Mormonism is the second largest religious denomination in California, with over 800,000 members.