Kaine courts Mormon voters with Utah paper op-ed

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine penned an editorial Tuesday in the Desert News, which is owned by the Mormon Church, as he and Hillary Clinton try to pull off a Democratic win the unusually close race in Utah. 

{mosads}Kaine praised missionary service, a tradition for all young Mormon men, and promised to uphold such values if elected VP in a few weeks.

He noted his Irish Catholic roots as he recalled his own missionary service in Honduras during his law school years. 

“What I learned in Honduras can be summarized in three words: Fe, familia y trabajo — faith, family and work,” Kaine wrote. 

“Around the country (and the United States Senate), I’ve seen members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints live those values.”

The presidential race in Utah, normally an overwhelming victory for Republicans, has taken a turn this year.

Clinton trails GOP nominee Donald Trump by a few points in the state, and is neck and neck with independent candidate and Utah native Evan McMullin. McMullin, a Mormon himself, and Clinton each hold about 25 percent of the vote in the RealClearPolitics poll average. Trump leads them both by 5.5 points.

Kaine noted the persecution both Catholics and Mormons have faced in their respective histories and emphasized the importance of religious freedom in America. 

Though he never mentioned Trump by name, Kaine alluded to the Republican candidate’s rhetoric on Muslims. 

“This election season has taught us some uncomfortable lessons, not the least of which is how a person’s religious tradition can be used as a weapon by politicians seeking to capitalize on fear,” he wrote.

Clinton wrote her own op-ed in the newspaper in August.