Latter-day Saint Voters Sour on Trump-Backed Arizona Candidate Mark Lamb

Mark Lamb, the former Pinal County sheriff and Trump-endorsed Republican nominee in Arizona's 5th Congressional District, is favored to win in November. But accusations of sexual misconduct and racist remarks are costing him support among fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an NPR report published Sunday found, and that could make the race closer than the district's lean suggests.

Kimberly Tait, a Gilbert resident who left the Republican Party in 2016 over Trump, is one of them. She is a church member, and so, Lamb says, is he. "Yes, Mark Lamb is a member of my faith," Tait told NPR. "But from what I understand about Mark Lamb, the dishonesty that has been displayed in his public and private life is completely contrary to our faith." She said his campaign slogan, "God, Family, Freedom," rings hollow to her.

The Arizona Republic published a multipart investigation this year alleging that Lamb had multiple affairs and sent sexually explicit messages to a woman outside his marriage, then threatened to send law enforcement after her if she spoke publicly. The newspaper also reported that church leaders looked into claims about his conduct. The LDS church holds chastity sacred, and members found out of step with their covenants can lose privileges or be excommunicated. Lamb did not respond to NPR's interview request. At a June event of the Encores Conservative Club, he denied the allegations. "I've been called a racist. I've been called a misogynist … I'm going to tell you folks, these are lies. Every single bit of it," he said.

The district covers the eastern Phoenix suburbs in Maricopa County plus Pinal County, and it has grown quickly. Arizona State University political scientist Kim Fridkin said many newcomers came from California seeking a more conservative place. Trump won it by roughly 20 points in the last presidential election, and two of Arizona's six LDS temples sit inside its borders. Rep. Andy Biggs is leaving the seat to run for governor. Lamb faces Democrat Elizabeth Lee, a nurse and political newcomer.

Latter-day Saints have historically voted Republican, but an analysis by YouGov found they have become less red over two decades. In Utah, Trump has faced some of his stiffest opposition in a red state. Holly Andersen, an independent LDS voter who admired the late Sen. John McCain and Mitt Romney, said it would be hypocritical to back Lamb. She cited a scripture her faith holds dear, 2 Corinthians 13:1, which says every word is established in the mouth of two or three witnesses. "There's been multiple women who have come forth," she said.

Suzanne Lunt, who co-chaired the Republicans for Biden committee in 2024, said she will not vote for Lamb either. "Lamb comes across as so untrustworthy on a lot of different levels," she said. All three women expect Lamb to win because of the district's conservative tilt, but they say more LDS voters are souring on partisan politics altogether. Tait said she no longer sees anyone wearing a MAGA hat. For Republicans trying to hold the House, even a narrower win in a seat they carried by 20 points would be a sign of how much character questions are weighing on some of their own candidates.