Part I: This paper will focus on the media’s evolving perceptions relative to Mitt Romney’s Mormonism, specifically as it involved the so-called “Mormon Question.” How have perceptions changed and shifted since the former Massachusetts governor announced his candidacy in early 2011 and as we approach the general election in which Romney seeks the nation’s highest office? Part II: This paper will focus on how the media has responded to the respective candidacies of 1) former Utah governor and ambassador to China Jon Huntsman during his unsuccessful campaign for the Gop nomination; 2) the “third party” challenge of former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson as he pursues the presidency as the candidate of his own self-styled Justice Party; and 3) Roseanne Barr, a television personality and one-time Latter-day Saint, in her bid for the 2012 Green Party presidential nomination.

Newell G. Bringhurst, William D. Russell