Capitol and Cathedral
BuzzFeed News reporter McKay Coppins is reporting that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton will make an appeal to Mormon voters with an op-ed to be published Wednesday in the Deseret News. The paper is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I’ve been fighting to defend religious freedom for years,” Clinton writes in an excerpt of the op-ed provided to BuzzFeed News. “As secretary of state, I made it a cornerstone of our foreign policy to protect the rights of religious minorities around the world — from Coptic Christians in Egypt, to Buddhists in Tibet.”
Source: Hillary Clinton Pitches Mormon Voters In Utah Newspaper Op-Ed – BuzzFeed News
As a religious minority in the United States once subject to persecution, Mormons tend to be sympathetic to religious freedom concerns, particularly for religious minorities.
They may also be more progressive overall than churchgoing evangelical Protestants.
Compared to evangelical Protestant leaders who engage public policy, Mormon leaders are more amendable to compromise and accommodation on religious-liberty concerns.
Paul Edwards, editor and publisher of the Deseret News, told BuzzFeed’s reporter: “Given the interest that has been focused on Utah voters this year, we reached out to both campaigns and were very pleased that Secretary Clinton would be willing to speak directly to Deseret News readers.”
The paper reached out to the Trump campaign as well. Perhaps soon the GOP nominee will tell LDS voters how he plans to embody their values and advance their priorities in office.
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