Conventional wisdom holds that prejudice against Mormons is a significant obstacle to Mitt Romney’s election as our next president. It’s undeniable that a significant number of Americans tell pollsters that they won’t vote for a Mormon. And surely there are some others who harbor unspoken narrow-mindedness in their hearts. But will today’s prejudice persist in the end? I say no, that other factors will wrest control of those voters’ decisions. And, furthermore, I believe there are hidden benefits to any lingering bigotry that will become a net plus for Romney. 

Let’s start with the facts. Many Americans tell pollsters that they won’t vote for Romney because he’s a Mormon. Almost a year ago, well before Romney’s nomination was inevitable, a June Gallup poll found that 22 percent of Americans felt they couldn’t vote for a Mormon for president. Subsequent to that, in late 2011, the Pew Research Center and its Forum on Religion and Public Life polled 1,019 Mormons nationwide and found that 32 percent of them suspected that Americans will balk at electing a Mormon president. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, 46 percent of Mormons say there is a lot of discrimination against Mormons in the United States while just 31 percent see a lot of discrimination against blacks. In short, Mormons harbor feelings of persecution.

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