A Republican congressman said Tuesday that "every American is reluctant to vote for somebody who's different than they are" while discussing Mitt Romney's Mormon faith.
Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho), who is Mormon and Hispanic, said Romney faces a unique challenge in his bid for the White House.
“You know, I think every American is reluctant to vote for somebody who’s different than they are, whether it’s Mormon or whether something else. And I think what you have to do as a Republican, as a politician, is to convince the people that even though you're different than they are, that you still believe in the same things that they believe in," Labrador told Fox News Latino.
But Labrador emphasized that every politician needed to work to "enchant" voters, and the reluctance of some to embrace Romney was not a simple matter of his faith.
"Sometimes I kind of get upset at some of my own friends who are members of the Latter Day Saints faith who, who think that the only reason people are not in love with Romney is because he’s Mormon. That’s not true. He needs to enchant them just like everybody needs to enchant everybody else," Labrador said.
The congressman went on to use his own election in Idaho as evidence that religion was not a deal-breaker for voters.
"It’s not about making excuses about why people are not voting for you, it’s about trying to figure out why people are not voting for you and trying to convince them that you're the right person,” Labrador said.
Labrador was then asked whether Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) history in the Mormon Church would affect his chances to earn a spot on the ticket or affect his performance as a vice presidential candidate. Rubio was baptized into the Mormon Church at age 8, but he later converted to Catholicism.
“I don't think that, that will damage him in, in any way. He’s a very popular senator from Florida; I don’t think it will be an issue," Labrador said.
