Mormons in Arizona could play a key role in who wins the crucial swing state in November in an extremely close race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon Church, have long been a reliable voting bloc for Republicans, but that has changed in the era of Donald Trump.
It could be problematic for the Republican Party this fall as the Republican presidential nominee seeks to flip Arizona from Democratic to Republican in order to win the White House.
President Biden won the key state by just over 10,000 votes over Trump in 2020 after the former president won the state in 2016.
The race between Trump and Harris appears very close with just over two months to go until the election.
Both Trump and Harris have campaigned in Arizona this month as the swing state could help decide the election.
The latest Real Clear Politics average shows the race is very close, with Trump leading Harris by less than half a point in the state, meaning members of the Mormon Church could play a significant role in who wins.
According to the Church, there are more than 442,000 Latter-day Saints in Arizona. That is by far the largest number of Church members in any state battling for the presidential nomination.
Biden won 18,000 votes among Latter-day Saints in the state in 2020, according to Y2 Analytics, meaning if Harris can get an even higher share in the 2024 election, it could help her win the state and its 11 Electoral College votes.
While more than 65 percent of white evangelical Protestants have a somewhat or very favorable view of Trump, only 48 percent of Latter-day Saints have a favorable view of the Republican presidential candidate.
Earlier this month, the Latter-day Saints for Harris group held a national organizing call that drew more than 1,400 participants.
It was inspired by many other groups holding online events for the Harris-Walz candidacy, with people connecting from 49 states and Washington, DC.
On the call, participants heard from Mormon members, including one from Arizona who had been a lifelong Republican but supported Biden in 2020 and would support Harris in November.
Republican Mayor of Mesa, Arizona John Giles speaks at the Democratic National Convention. He also recently participated in a Latter-day Saints call in support of Harris-Walz
The group believes there are approximately 73,500 Latter-day Saints in Arizona who could join Harris in November and help keep the state Democratic.
Democrats also featured a Latter-day Saint from Arizona who spoke at the Democratic National Convention last week in Chicago.
Republican Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona, was one of several registered Republicans who spoke on stage at the convention.
He is a member of the Harris Republicans and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I feel more comfortable here than I do in the current Republican Party,” he told the crowd.
He was also on the Latter-day Saints call for Harris on Aug. 6.
During the call, he encouraged those in Maricopa County, Arizona, to help “duplicate” the Democrats’ 2020 victory again this fall.
Both Trump and Harris recognize the importance of Arizona and are campaigning heavily in the state.
Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale on August 9
Former President Donald Trump campaigned at the same stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday.
Trump was there last week during the Democratic National Convention, where he held a rally on Friday in Glendale.
Harris also stopped by Glendale earlier this month for a rally with her running mate Tim Walz.
