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TODAY: @JoeBiden & @KamalaHarris (and Mike Pence) travel to the battleground of Arizona. It has 11 electoral votes and one of the larger Latter-day Saint populations outside of Utah. Pence tried to court these voters in August. It didn't go well. https://medium.com/@r4npaz/a-response-to-the-latter-day-saints-for-trump-rally-in-mesa-arizona-eed62d6aad1f
The big question was always going to be whether LDS voters repulsed by Trump would support Biden or find a third-party alternative. @JeffFlake and @EvanMcMullin, in their endorsements, made it clear that they see Biden as unifying and values-driven. https://medium.com/@JeffFlake/heres-who-i-ll-be-supporting-for-president-and-why-ce983293fae6
A notable moment occurred a month into the backlash. Russell Pearce (of anti-immigrant SB 1070 infamy) tried to use our shared faith to shame LDS Republicans who are supporting Joe Biden.
Christie Black, one of those Republicans, immediately responded. https://www.azmirror.com/2020/09/11/russell-pearce-wants-to-shame-me-for-destroying-america-but-he-failed/
Christie Black, one of those Republicans, immediately responded. https://www.azmirror.com/2020/09/11/russell-pearce-wants-to-shame-me-for-destroying-america-but-he-failed/
Arizona's been getting the headlines, but it isn't just an Arizona story. We had our first national town hall in August. https://www.deseret.com/faith/2020/8/15/21369620/mormon-biden-trump-latter-day-saints-national-town-hall-presidential-election-lds
The weekend before #GeneralConference, we had our second national town hall. Key noted by @tomudall, it featured voices from Arizona and North Carolina.
Meanwhile, polling was telling us what we've been seeing on the ground:
@JoeBiden is doing better with Latter-day Saints than any Democratic nominee in at least thirty years and is likely winning Latter-day Saint women outright. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/opinion/mormon-women-trump-arizona.html
@JoeBiden is doing better with Latter-day Saints than any Democratic nominee in at least thirty years and is likely winning Latter-day Saint women outright. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/opinion/mormon-women-trump-arizona.html
Hence Utah being at 50-40. https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/10/05/new-utah-poll-has-trump/
But it isn't about #Blutah, necessarily. It's about Latter-day Saints across the national battlegrounds. Biden getting 35% of the LDS vote means a vote shift of 60,000 in Arizona & Florida; 90,000 in Texas; 30,000 in North Carolina & Georgia; 25,000 in Pennsylvania & Michigan.
And THAT's the context of today's endorsements. Over 450 signatories. Thirty-eight states & territories. #SomethingIsHappening indeed. https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/10/08/latter-day-saints-biden/
