Conservative commentator Glenn Back isn’t the only major figure or group to throw its weight behind Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign or distance itself from Donald Trump. According to a new advertisement released by Clinton’s Democratic ticket, the group “Utah Mormons for Hillary” is also supporting her White House ambitions instead of the Republican nominee’s. And while the politically neutral Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints typically votes for Republican or conservative candidates in state and national elections, the new commercial also features several prominent Utah GOP politicians.
Per the Deseret News, former Utah Republican state representatives Sheryl Allen and General David Irvine participated in the video’s overlapping narration, which also includes Utah state senate Democratic candidate Celina Milner and members of Utah Mormons for Hillary. Together, they read a rather powerful message calling upon all of Utah’s practicing LDS members to get out and vote for Clinton.
“When we’re reminded of the bounty and protection we enjoy, most of us … are grateful,” the speakers read. “Our gratitude has its roots in a view of government that dates back to the Pilgrims and to the successive waves of immigrants who came to this country seeking religious and political freedom and economic opportunities. In this view, government is an instrument both to promote individuals’ rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
While fellow Republican and Mormon Mike Lee, one of Utah’s two U.S. senators, recently denounced Trump, his disavowal was by no means a vote of confidence in Clinton. Yet the growing number of Republicans and conservatives distancing themselves from Trump doesn’t look good for the party nominee’s chances in November.
Especially in Utah, where the state’s largely conservative Mormon population is currently giving Trump a meager 14.7-point lead over Clinton. These numbers may seem big, but when compared to Mitt Romney’s explosive 48-point lead over President Barack Obama in 2012, and McCain’s 28.2-point advantage four years prior, 14.7 points isn’t looking so great.
(Via Deseret News)
