After Mitt Romney became the frontrunner for McCain's VP, our writers here and at The Stump have been analyzing whether that would be a wise move. On The Plank, Michelle argued that this would be a risky decision by McCain, as Romney's Mormon background could potentially further harm McCain's already weakened position in the evangelical base. Commenter sabatia agrees and offers an explanation for the tension these two sects:
As per my comment when Romney was raised again as a potential VP: You are right on, Michelle. Having followed the Republican primary very closely--the Evangelicals don't much care for McCain, but they despise Romney because he's a Mormon.
If it were just a matter of theology, perhaps they could come to some understanding. But the big issue is the competition for converts, particularly in third world countries, between the Mormons and the Evangelicals. Conversion (evangelizing) is a huge issue for both Mormons and Evangelicals. Evangelicals are extremely concerned that having a Mormon in the White House, even as VP, would give Mormons a global leg up on them. Given that self-described Evangelicals were 23% of all voters in the last election, McCain can not afford to lose these folks or dampen their enthusiasm any more than it already is.
--The Editors