Romney’s Goal to Calm Fears in Speech on his Mormon Faith — The West Ranch Beacon

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney must reassure voters during a speech scheduled Thursday that his beliefs as a Mormon fit neatly with the nation’s fundamental values and its demands for the chief executive in the White House reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

“It is a watershed moment for his campaign,” said Barbara O’Connor, professor of political communication at Cal State Sacramento. “People are still concerned about his or her loyalty to his church … but be it Catholic or Mormon, a devout (believer) has to make it clear they will abide by the law - and his first fidelity is to the Constitution.”

Romney, 60, the former Massachusetts governor, is scheduled to speak about faith and the American value of religious tolerance at President George H.W. Bush’s presidential library on the campus of Texas A&M University. Analysts said he must acknowledge his adherence to the fast-growing religion founded by Joseph Smith in 1830 while calming the fears of voters, including some evangelical Christians who view the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as heretical and cult-like.

Romney’s speech comes as he seems to have hit a wall in Iowa, the site of the first presidential nominating contest on Jan. 3. Romney campaigned for months and spent millions to move ahead of the Republican pack, only to find that upstart former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee now has grabbed momentum and is neck-and-neck with Romney in the polls of Iowa GOP voters.