(RNS) — When former Arizona Rep. Joel John, a Republican and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020, he wasn’t exactly excited about it.
“Even after I voted for him and submitted my ballot, I regretted it,” John said in an interview last month. A few months later, when a group of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, his regret deepened into disgust.
“I was so disappointed in myself” for not having been willing to say “No, I’m not going to vote for him,” he said.
Four years later, John said he feels much better about what he’s doing now: joining former Mesa Vice Mayor Claudia Walters in not only endorsing Democrat Kamala Harris for president, but forming an advisory committee that pledges to help convince other members of the church in his state to back the Democratic ticket in November.
“We believe in our form of government, a government of the people, the Constitution, and we believe in ways that it was divinely inspired,” John said, referring to the LDS church’s beliefs regarding the U.S. founding documents. “I just don’t think we can support someone who has shown such open hostility toward it.”
The effort may surprise some observers, as Mormons have traditionally been one of the most reliably Republican constituencies in the U.S. But the Harris campaign is hoping to capitalize on Trump’s …