Mormons Are the Redeemers of Election 2016

How has this sparsely populated, deep-red Western state become the object of desire for a Democrat, the source of the humiliation of America’s most confident man, and the potential site of Never Trump’s last stand? In an election that has defied conventional wisdom, Utah has become a symbol of conventional American identity: religiously conservative, family-oriented, and equally committed to traditional American values and freedom for minority groups. While winning the state won’t help either major-party nominee—let alone McMullin—win the White House, the candidates are after moral rather than electoral victory out west. Utah’s Mormon voters are a near-perfect symbol of conservative American patriotism. And that’s an association both major-party candidates are hungry to win.