For Chris Udall, that fact that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is a fellow Mormon was “just the icing on the cake” when he decided to donate $250 to his campaign.
“I talk to a lot of friends of mine and relatives who are really into other candidates, so we’re not a homogenous bunch and don’t support someone strictly because of religion,” said Udall, a Mesa resident who is executive director of the Agri-Business Council of Arizona. “My first reason for supporting Governor Romney is because of his private sector experience. I think we need a private sector president.”
While fundraising has tightened of late, Romney has a strong lead so far among Arizonans who have opened their wallets in support. And donations from residents of Mesa and Gilbert, cities with large Mormon populations, are a big part of that, according to a Cronkite News Service review of Federal Election Commission data.
Individual Arizonans had donated $1.1 million to the former Massachusetts governor’s campaign through the end of January, according to FEC data. That’s far ahead of the $333,000 donated to Ron Paul, $169,000 to Newt Gingrich and $46,000 to Rick Santorum.
President Barack Obama’s campaign had received $756,000 from Arizonans through January.
Through the quarter ending Dec. 31, the latest data listing individual donors, about a third of Romney’s contributions in the state had come from Mesa and Gilbert. Residents of Mesa had given the most to Romney — $253,000 — among Arizona cities and towns, outpacing contributions from residents of Phoenix, who had donated $198,000; Tucson, who had donated $183,000; and Scottsdale, who had donated $122,000.
Gilbert was next for Romney, with $87,000 in donations through Dec. 31.
“It’s probably a fair assumption to say that there’s some sort of what you call Mormon pride at play in terms of where the money is coming from in regards to Mitt Romney,” said Shane Wikfors, communications director for the Arizona Republican Party.
“What it really tells me is that Romney has a stronger organization than anyone else here,” said Bruce Merrill, a political scientist and pollster with Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy.
“There’s a lot of Mormons here, a lot of prominent, well-to-do Mormons, and so to me it simply shows that Romney has had a much larger and stronger organization,” Merrill added.
Three Mormon state lawmakers from Mesa — Republican Reps. Cecil Ash and Steve Court and Republican Sen. Rich Crandall — donated $2,400, $250 and $250, respectively, to Romney’s campaign. Records also showed that Romney received $2,000 from former ASU and current Arizona Cardinals tight end Todd Heap, who is a Mormon from Mesa.
Pointing to Romney’s business experience as the reason for his support, Ash said he knows Mormons who are for and against the candidate. “To me, religion is a non-issue,” he said.
“The issue is who can beat Barack Obama and who has the skills to be president,” Ash said. “But because I share a religion, I don’t have a fear about him that others do who have a fear of Mormonism, who think our teachings are crazy or fables.”
Through Dec. 31, the largest share of Paul’s donations, $55,000, had come from Phoenix, followed by Tucson, with $32,000; Mesa, with $31,000; and Scottsdale, with $25,000. With $24,000, Scottsdale residents accounted for the largest share of donations to Gingrich, followed by Phoenix with $16,000.
Santorum’s campaign had received only $18,000 from Arizonans through Dec. 31, two-thirds of it from residents of Paradise Valley and Scottsdale.
Jennifer Steen, an ASU assistant professor of political science, said the numbers don’t show anything that isn’t already known — “that rich people live in Scottsdale and Mormons live in Mesa and Gilbert and one of these candidates is a Mormon and is enjoying Mormon support.”
Reports for January showed a much tighter picture in Arizona, with individuals donating $65,000 to Gingrich, $62,000 to Romney, $49,000 to Paul and $27,000 to Santorum during the month.
Merrill said change reflects the state of the race overall.
“I think the reason for the tightening is the same reason why you see it nationwide: because candidates like Santorum are gaining ground on Romney,” he said.
Obama’s campaign received $80,000 from Arizona during January.
Luis Heredia, executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party, noted that while Obama has received less money than Romney from the state it has come from more overall donors — around 1,400 for Obama to around 1,050 for Romney, according to FEC records.
“That shows me that the president has received most of his campaign funding from small donors like you and I,” Heredia said.
downtownresident posted at 7:10 am on Sun, Feb 26, 2012.
This is newsworthy?????? Give me a break. Of course Mesa and Gilbert, being heavily MORMON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!would have been instructed to give to the bishop from Michigan a healthy tithe.
It might be a story if Ron Paul (whose goons overran Mesa on Wednesday night) was getting the money.
As it is, this is just an "Elect Romney" campaign ad.
ralpho posted at 9:49 am on Sun, Feb 26, 2012.
So much for Tea Party.
Just same old Republicanism.
The same one that 8 years of ruined this state and ended in banking collapse, rescues and 750,000 jobs per month loss.
Just now got the Dow from 6000 back to 13000.
And they want us to go back to that massive failure.
Slabside posted at 7:12 pm on Sun, Feb 26, 2012.
To the Lib Tool ralpho:
The national debt on Jan 19, 2001, the day BEFORE Bush began his first term:
$5,727,776,738,304.64
The national debt on Jan 2007, BEFORE Pelosi and Reid picked up the nation's checkbook:
$8,675,085,083,537.48
a growth of $2,947,308,345,233.84 OR
$491,218,057,538.80 per year for Bush's first 6 years with a Republican controlled congress.
From the day DEMOCRATS took over congress Jan 3 2007 with the debt at:
$8,675,085,083,537.48
the debt grew to
$10,628,881,485,510.23 on the day Bush left office Jan 20 2009
a growth of $1,953,796,401,972.75
or $976,898,200,986.38 for each of the two years Bush had a DEMOCRAT controlled congress.
$976,898,200,986.38 per year with a DEMOCRAT congress vs $491,218,057,538.80 per year with a Republican congress AND the expense of 9/11 and the beginning of the war on terror.
Now compare that with $10,626,877,048,913.08 on Jan 20, 2009 the day Obama took office to $13,056,957,049,453.42 June 6, 2010.
That is $2,430,080,000,540.34 in one year and just under 6 months OR
$1,700,503,755,783.74 for his FIRST YEAR. (that's TRILLION)
ONLY CONGRESS can appropriate and approve federal spending. ONLY CONGRESS!
Or to put it so even a "progressive" can understand it, from Jan 3r 2007, when DEMOCRATS took over Congress, the ONLY branch of the federal government who can approve and appropriate federal spending, till June 6, 2010, the national debt has GROWN:
$4,381,871,965,915.94 (That's TRILLION with a T)
in 3 1/2 years eclipsing ANY spending ANY congress has EVER done in our history.
ALL statistics from:
www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/NPGateway
Let's just cut the DEMOCRAT lies, OK
The national debt for those "super smart" progressives who still believe Clinton "reduced" the national debt:
01/21/1993 National Debt = $4,174,218,594,232.91. Clinton takes office.
01/03/1995 National Debt = $4,798,116,945,333.39. Clinton and demos raise debt $623,898,351,100.49 OR $311,949,175,550.24 per year for the two years demos ran congress.
01/03/2001 $5,723,237,439,563.59. The remaining 6 years of Clinton, terms and Republican congress raised debt $925,120,494,230.20 OR $154,186,749,038.36 per year or less than HALF what Clinton with a democrat congress spent per year.
01/03/2007 National Debt the day Pelosi and Reid took over congress $8,677,214,255,313.07.
National dent as of 10/29/2010 $13,668,825,497,341.36 OR the Pelosi/Reid Debt Cartel appropriated and approved $4,991,611,242,028.29 of DEBT in 6 years OR $831,935,207,004.72 per year.
Clearly the Congress under democrats has been approving 2 and 2/3 time MORE spending per year than the previous congress did under Bill Clinton.
www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/NPGateway
The National debt jan4 2007 to Dec 18, 2010.
The national debt when Bush left office was $10.7 trillion.
www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np
The national debt the day DEMOCRATS took over the House and Senate Jan 4 2007: $8,670,596,242,973.04
The CURRENT national debt: $ 14,342,953,885,641.98
That is "roughly" $5,208,241,108,177.58 or MORE than 8 years of Bush with 911 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan tossed in.
www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/NPGateway