Mormon church courts media to emphasize independence from GOP governor mulling run for president

RAW STORY
Published: Thursday October 26, 2006

The Mormon church is quietly courting the media to "counter myths" and emphasize its independence from a Republican governor mulling a run for president in 2008, according to Roll Call.

"Just as Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) lays the groundwork to run for president, the church he belongs to is launching a quiet public relations campaign to assert its neutrality in elections," Kate Ackley writes.

"High-ranking officials with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormon or LDS church, joined by consultants with the church’s outside PR firm, Edelman Public Relations, have been meeting this month with political journalists to dispel myths about the religion and to emphasize the independence the church maintains from campaigns by Romney or any other Mormon politician," the article continues.

The Boston Globe reported that Romney has quietly consulted with Mormon Church leaders to gather support for his potential run.

"Governor Mitt Romney vigorously defended a plan yesterday by his political advisers to develop a network of Mormon supporters for his potential presidential bid, while a former Internal Revenue Service commissioner said discussions among Romney operatives and Mormon Church leaders about the initiative could violate the church's tax-exempt status," Michael Levenson and Scott Helman wrote for the Globe.

The Mormon Church released a statement on its Web site reaffirming its neutrality.

"In light of articles appearing in the media, we reaffirm the position of neutrality taken by the church, and affirm the long-standing policy that no member occupying an official position in any organization of the church is authorized to speak in behalf of the church concerning the church's stand on political issues," the statement says.

Excerpts from Roll Call article:

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The church’s outreach has been led by Michael Otterson, who serves as a senior spokesman for the LDS church, and Kenneth Bowler, a former Pfizer lobbyist who is the Washington, D.C.-based director of public and international affairs for the church. They have made the rounds with Edelman consultants, meeting with such news outlets as The Hotline, BBC and Roll Call, among others.

Observers of the Mormon church say they see a similarity between the religion’s outreach in the political realm and its efforts when Salt Lake City, where the church is headquartered, hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic games, inspiring a flood of media coverage, much of it by journalists unfamiliar with the church.

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The background briefings with political writers, Otterson wrote, were designed to emphasize that the church would not be “commenting on the politics in any way, shape or form. We have nothing to do with any LDS politician, and while our members are free to vote or express support for whom they wish, the Church remains strictly neutral in those matters.”

But, if the media attention focuses directly on the Mormon church, he said, “we want to help them get it right. There are plenty of myths out there, and they need to make sure they are accessing reliable sources.”

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FULL ROLL CALL ARTICLE CAN BE READ AT THIS LINK