One unique aspect of Utah’s political mix is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as LDS or more commonly as the Mormons). More than 50% of Salt Lake Valley is Mormon, and 60% of the rest of the state also claims affiliation with the faith.
With such a large population of Mormons in the state, the faith holds some degree of influence on politics, usually passively, but occasionally, such as during the Proposition 8 campaign in California, the LDS Church takes a more active role. This morning, leaders of the LDS faith, including several apostles and a leader of the Relief Society (one of the largest and oldest women’s organizations in the world), held a news conference on religious freedom and non-discrimination.
Watch the news conference below, starting at the 48:29 minute mark.
