Are young members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abandoning the GOP? New research from political scientist Ryan Burge shows younger members of the church are significantly less conservative than older ones. 

Burge found for 60-year-olds, there’s about a 50-point gap between Republicans and Democrats. Among college-aged people, it’s down to a 15-point gap. Just over half of them align with the GOP and 35% are Democrats. 

Donald Trump’s brand of populism and insult-driven politics didn’t jive well with many LDS people. Centrist politicians like Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman have continued to do well in the state of Utah as Trump took over the party. 

Allyson Hamacher

Allyson Hamacher

Allyson Hamacher didn’t leave the Grand Old Party because of Trump. In fact, she has been on the other end of LDS politics since college.

Hamacher is a board member of the LDS Democrats of Arizona, which functioned as a PAC during the last election cycle. The Show spoke with Hamacher more about these trends and about her own political story.

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