It may be that I will have to eat crow on this one but I still maintain that grassroots evangelicals aren’t going to support Gov. Romney because of his Mormon faith. A New York Times article suggests he is making headway among evangelical political leaders but I still think this is the most important part of the article:
Gloria A. Haskins, a state representative from South Carolina who is supporting Senator John McCain for the Republican nomination, said discussions with her constituents in Greenville, an evangelical stronghold, convinced her that a Mormon like Mr. Romney could not win a Republican primary in her state. South Carolina has one of the earliest, and most critical, primaries next year.
“From what I hear in my district, it is very doubtful,” Ms. Haskins said. “This is South Carolina. We’re very mainstream, evangelical, Christian, conservative. It will come up. In this of all states, it will come up.”
I like Gov. Romney and have a close friend working with him. I just doubt that evangelicals who have been (and are still) taught about how to convert Mormons and lead them out of their “cult” will vote for him. Especially if he does well in New Hampshire and needs to be “taken out” in South Carolina like Bush did to McCain in 2000. It will be one of the most interesting things to watch.