Trump announces Latter-day Saints coalition in push for battleground voters

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a “Latter-Day Saints for Trump” coalition less than a month before Election Day as his campaign looks to shore up support among a key voting bloc in which defections could be particularly damaging in important key western battlegrounds.

Among the leaders of the coalition are four prominent Utah Republicans: Sen. Mike Lee, Rep. Celeste Maloy, Rep. Burgess Owens and state Attorney General Sean Reyes.

Lee said Trump had ensured that “Latter-day Saints and people of all faiths can worship freely and live according to our beliefs,” adding, “His dedication to life and protecting the unborn has fortified our families’ foundations, and his leadership is exactly what America needs to preserve the God-given rights that make us strong and free.”

While the church’s home is based in Utah, which has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964, there is a significant Latter-day Saints population in Arizona — more than 442,879, according to the church. Joe Biden won Arizona by 11,000 votes in 2020.

Exit polls show Biden won 18% of the LDS vote in Arizona, a significant defection from a reliably conservative denomination rooted in traditional family values. Latter-day Saints voters’ steadfast support for GOP candidates has long helped keep Utah and Idaho — the states with the largest shares of LDS voters — impenetrably red on election nights.

Arizona Republicans signing on to the Trump-LDS coalition include Rep. Andy Biggs and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who ran an unsuccessful Senate campaign this year.

Lamb said he believed Trump would protect his religious freedom and his right to “raise and protect” his family.

Trump plans to hold a roundtable with Latter-day Saints leaders in Arizona on Sunday, a campaign aide said.

Some LDS voters have soured on Trump based on his often divisive political style, as well as his attacks on immigrants and refugees, which run contrary to the denomination’s ministry and culture.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has sought to exploit the tension within the community and create a permission structure to back her, instead, focusing on character and a more moderate personal — if politically progressive — style.

The Harris campaign hosts a “Latter Day Saints for Harris-Walz” coalition on its website and launched an advisory committee in Arizona last month. The Democratic campaign also organized an LDS coalition in Nevada this week.

Others who signed on to the new Trump-LDS coalition include retired Air Force four-star Gen. Robert Oaks, a retired general authority of the church; conservative media commentator Glenn Beck; and entertainment personalities the Diesel Brothers.

In another sign of his growing influence within the Trump campaign, a campaign aide told NBC News that Donald Trump Jr. was a key figure in launching the LDS coalition for Trump, saying he has strong relationships with members of the Mormon community.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com