Mormon Voters A Key Nevada Voting Bloc For Romney

LAS VEGAS (AP) — If Mitt Romney wins the Nevada caucus on Saturday, he might want to thank members of the Mormon church.

Romney, a Mormon himself, is expected to carry a majority of the votes from Nevada members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most Republican Mormon voters backed him here in 2008.

There are just over 175,000 Mormons in Nevada, roughly 7 percent of the state’s population.

They carry more clout than that in elections because they turn out in high numbers. Nearly a quarter of all 2008 GOP caucus voters were Mormon.

With so much at stake, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are making the case that they also share Mormon values.