USA - With two prominent Mormon candidates in the GOP field, the Church of Latter Day Saints is taking preemptive steps to ensure that it's not seen as promoting a particular candidate, The Wall Street Journal reported. The idea, in part, seems to be distancing the "I'm a Mormon" religious ad campaign from any hint that it's taking sides with Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman in next year's presidential election:
Already, the church said it has reined in the participation of officials in political campaigns and reshuffled a public advertising campaign to avoid appearing to interfere in politics. Church officials now monitor the Internet, television broadcasts and print publications daily to sniff out even a hint that anti-Mormonism is entering the 2012 campaign.
In late June, The Boston Globe ran a similar story noting that Mormon leaders were "emphasiz[ing] that their ad campaign is not an attempt to help Romney or Huntsman." For all their worrying, however, it might be a good time to note that less than half of America can actually identify Mitt Romney as a Mormon.