A Republican candidate running in one of Arizona's most reliably conservative congressional districts is facing an unexpected problem with a key voting bloc: women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who say his record and personal conduct make him unacceptable to them.
Mark Lamb, the former sheriff of Pinal County and the Republican nominee in Arizona's 5th Congressional District, is confronting accusations of sexual misconduct and racist remarks dating back to his time in law enforcement. Those allegations are prompting some Latter-day Saint women in the district to withhold their support, even as Lamb remains the heavy favorite to win the general election.
Kimberly Tait, a resident of Gilbert, Arizona, illustrates the shift. She had been a registered Republican her entire life before changing her affiliation to independent in 2016, a move she described as a response to a political identity crisis. Though she still considers herself conservative and describes her politics as moderate, she said she could not bring herself to stay aligned with the Republican Party under President Trump.
"The MAGA movement in and of itself is — it's just really gross to me," Tait said. She added that she is "not super progressive politically" and remains "really pretty moderate."
Now Tait finds another politician on her ballot who repels her: Lamb, who has made his Latter-day Saint faith a visible part of his identity and campaign. His slogan, "God, Family, Freedom," is meant to signal traditional values, but for Tait the phrase rings hollow.
"Yes, Mark Lamb is a member of my faith. He also belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," she said. "But from what I understand about Mark Lamb, the dishonesty that has been displayed in his public and private life is completely contra" — a sentiment suggesting she sees a fundamental contradiction between the candidate's professed values and his conduct.
The tension matters because Arizona's 5th District is a conservative stronghold where Republican candidates typically win comfortably. Lamb is still favored to prevail in November. But the reluctance of Mormon voters — particularly women — could narrow the margin in a race that would ordinarily be decided well before election night.
Latter-day Saints are a politically significant constituency in Arizona, with concentrations in the eastern Phoenix suburbs and communities such as Gilbert that fall within or near the 5th District. Mormon voters have historically leaned Republican, making them a dependable part of the GOP coalition in the state. Any erosion of that support carries outsized weight in close contests, and even a modest defection could force Republicans to spend time and money defending a seat they normally take for granted.
For Democrats, the discontent among LDS women represents a rare opportunity. The party is not expected to compete seriously for the district under normal circumstances, but a scandal-plagued nominee with weakness among a core Republican constituency gives Democrats an opening to make the race more competitive than the partisan lean would suggest.
Tait's political journey reflects a broader pattern among some Mormon voters who have grown uncomfortable with the direction of the Republican Party in the Trump era. Her decision to leave the GOP in 2016 was not driven by a move to the left, she said, but by an inability to reconcile her conservative principles with the party's leadership. That same discomfort now extends to down-ballot candidates such as Lamb, whom she views as inconsistent with the values she associates with her faith.
The allegations against Lamb — sexual misconduct and racist remarks while serving as sheriff — have become central to how some voters in the district evaluate him. Lamb has not been convicted of any crime related to the accusations, and the article does not indicate that he has responded directly to the specific criticisms raised by Tait and other Latter-day Saint women. He continues to present himself as a candidate of faith and family, a framing his critics reject as inconsistent with his record.
The dynamic places Lamb in an unusual position for a Republican in a red district. Rather than needing to court independents or moderates to win, he can afford to lose some support and still prevail. But the enthusiasm gap among LDS women could suppress turnout, depress his margins in precincts that usually deliver lopsided Republican victories, and provide Democratic challengers with an argument that the seat is worth contesting.
Arizona's political landscape has also been shaped by Trump's influence on the state's Republican primaries, which have repeatedly tested the former president's endorsement power and reshaped candidate fields. Lamb's rise fits within that broader realignment, in which loyalty to Trump and his movement has become a dominant factor in GOP nominating contests. That alignment may help Lamb with the party's base, but it appears to be precisely what alienates voters like Tait.
For Latter-day Saint women who prioritize honesty and personal conduct as expressions of their faith, the calculation is not simply partisan. Tait's remarks suggest that shared religious affiliation is not enough to secure her vote when she believes a candidate's behavior contradicts the values he claims to represent. That distinction could prove decisive in a district where church membership and civic identity often overlap.
The race will test whether religious and cultural ties can outweigh concerns about scandal in a conservative corner of Arizona, or whether a critical mass of Mormon women will register their disapproval at the ballot box. If they do, the result may be a closer-than-expected finish in a district that Republicans have long considered safe — and a warning sign for the party about the durability of one of its most loyal constituencies.
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