Although Mormons have traditionally been the most Republican religious group in the United States, it appears that they are fleeing this year’s GOP candidate.
This election has proved excruciating for Mormons, who have deep animosity toward Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, both of whom are perceived as not living up to their moral standards. But Mormons may have found an alternative to choosing the “lesser of two evils”: Independent candidate Evan McMullin, a former CIA officer turned policy wonk who also is a Mormon.
The shift of Mormons away from the GOP is stunning, said Quin Monson, a political scientist at Brigham Young University. A Democrat has not won Utah, a heavily Mormon state that holds the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, since 1964.