A group of Mormon leaders are calling on their fellow believers to put principles aside and vote for Kamala Harris.
The group, led by out-going Mesa Mayor John Giles, is making it “clear that members of the church who might be opposed to liberal views of gender, same-sex marriage and abortion should put their views aside and vote for Harris,” according to Cronkite News.
Despite the fact that the Mormon population is sizeable in the swing state of Arizona, Paul Lewis, an associate professor of political science at Arizona State University’s School of Politics and Global Studies, told Cronkite that he did not believe the small group would move the needle much for the current vice president.
“I think it is more something the Harris campaign can trot out there and say, ‘Hey, look, we’re not just a traditional base of Democrats here, but we appeal to a broad swath of people.’ It’s also a way to increase their messaging about Trump being dangerous or objectionable,” Lewis told Cronkite News.
Current polls show Trump with a narrow lead over Harris Arizona.
Giles, who is a registered Republican, has endorsed mostly Democrat candidates over the past few years, including Congressman Ruben Gallego.
“What a very John Giles thing to do,” remarked Constantin Querard, a GOP consultant in the valley. “But it is an absurd message to go to voters on the basis of their religious affiliation, then ask them to cast aside the core values of their faith to support a candidate who will advance a world-view that is hostile not just to their church’s views, but to churches and organized religion themselves.”
Giles is term-limited so he will not be seeking re-election in the largely Republican east valley city. Politicos say that having led the adoption of a city-wide non-discrimination ordinance and liberal climate action plan, a Giles’ run would have been unsuccessful if he had been allowed to run again.
According to various sources, Giles is rumored to be looking at a run for Governor in 2026, and his more recent publicity stunts are him running to the left to try to find support in a match-up against the GOP’s presumptive nominee, Karrin Taylor Robson.
