Mormons & American Politics (feat. David Campbell & Kathleen Flake):
Season 1, Episode 3

Hosted by Stephen Betts. 

From the early days of Joseph Smith’s religious movement, Mormons have creatively navigated tensions with American culture and government through political activity. In 1844, Joseph Smith ran for president and even sent out missionaries to campaign for him. In the early 20th century, Apostle Reed Smoot served in the US Senate for many years. Decades later, Apostle Ezra Taft Benson would serve as US Secretary of Agriculture under President Eisenhower. In recent years Harry Reid, a Democrat, served as Senate Majority Leader, and in 2012 Mitt Romney was selected by the Republican National Committee as the Republican candidate for president. Today I speak with Professor David Campbell and Professor Kathleen Flake about Latter-day Saints, American Politics, and the 2020 presidential election.