By Arnold K. Garr, Ph.D.

Many people are surprised when they find out that Mitt Romney is not the first Mormon to run for president of the United States. That distinction belonged to Joseph Smith, the founder of the faith. He decided to run for president after the Church pleaded in vain for the government to compensate the Latter-day Saints for the property lost and afflictions suffered when they were expelled from the state of Missouri as a result of the extermination order in 1838.

Even though the campaigns of Joseph Smith and Mitt Romney are over 160 years apart in time, comparing the two yields interesting insights. While both men were involved in the same process, there are very few similarities between the two campaigns. Following are some distinctions.

First, the nation’s pressing problems were completely different during the two eras in American history. When Joseph Smith ran in 1844, the major issues, according to the Prophet, were: the powers of the U.S. president, slavery, congressional reform, whether or not to establish a national bank, prison reform, military reform, and the annexation of Oregon and Texas. The problems that Mitt Romney and his competitors are facing in 2008 are: the war in Iraq, abortion, same-sex marriage, immigration, health care, the economy, and taxation.

Second, the political parties were different. In 1844 the two major groups were the Democrats and Whigs. The Republican Party would not be established until 1854.

Third, Joseph Smith and Mitt Romney have taken two different approaches to getting elected. Joseph Smith broke with the two major parties and established an independent third party called Reform, Jeffersonian Democracy, Free Trade and Sailors Rights. By contrast, Mitt Romney is trying to win the nomination of the Republican Party.

Fourth, the two candidates came from entirely different backgrounds. Joseph Smith was known primarily as a religious leader and had made his living as a storekeeper and struggled financially his entire life. On several occasions he and his wife, Emma, lived as guests in other peoples’ homes for extended periods of time. Joseph even received a revelation which stated: “In temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling” (D&C 24:9).

On the other hand, Mitt Romney is an extremely successful businessman who became a multi-millionaire and was widely acclaimed as the rescuer of the 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City. He also served as governor of Massachusetts, one of the nation’s most populous states.

Fifth, the official position of the LDS Church relative to the two campaigns has been totally different. In 1844, the leaders of the Church were intimately and actively involved in almost every detail of Joseph Smith’s campaign. The Prophet made the decision to run for president during a meeting with the Twelve Apostles.

Brigham Young and members of the Quorum of the Twelve assumed the responsibility of organizing and overseeing the Prophet’s presidential campaign. During the April 1844 general conference they called for volunteers to serve political/religious missions and 244 people stepped forward. During the next few days, additional missionaries were called, bringing the total to at least 337.

On April 15, these missionaries were assigned to all twenty-six states in the Union, as well as the Wisconsin Territory. In addition, most of the Apostles, themselves, campaigned throughout the Eastern states.

By contrast, in the 2008 campaign, even though Mitt Romney is tremendously popular in Utah, especially with the Latter-day Saints, the Church has not endorsed his candidacy. On November 12, 2007, Elder M. Russell Ballard stated in U.S. News and World Report, page 28, that “there’s a real brick wall between the campaign and the Church.”

Finally, both Joseph Smith and Mitt Romney have tried to publicize their message energetically and to as many people as possible, but by using entirely different methods.
The Prophet published a pamphlet entitled General Smith’s Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States. He printed 1,500 copies and mailed them to the president of the United States and his cabinet, Supreme Court justices, U.S. senators, and congressmen. He also sent Views to major newspapers and several postmasters. As a result, at least forty-five newspapers in twenty-two states published articles about Joseph Smith’s campaign.

Mitt Romney’s strategy is quite different. He has spent millions of dollars to buy ads for television. He has also participated in numerous political debates with other candidates. As a consequence several magazines including Time, Newsweek, and Reader’s Digest have published major stories about him. He has also made guest appearances on numerous television programs.

We will never know how successful Joseph Smith’s campaign would have been because he was martyred on June 27, 1844—months before the election took place. The story of Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign is unrolling day by day. How successful will he be?
When we consider the political activities of Joseph Smith and Mitt Romney, we are reminded of a statement by Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” To this President Ezra Taft Benson has said, “It is not good enough that we wring our hands and moan about conditions in America. We must become… ‘anxiously engaged’ in good causes and leave the world a better place for having lived in it” (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 676–77). It would seem that both Joseph Smith and Mitt Romney have certainly been “anxiously engaged” in good causes.

Setting the Record Straight is a new series of books published by Millennial Press covering topics which have been a long history of public misinformation. Setting the Record Straight: Joseph Smith Presidential Candidate is now available at www.millennialpress.com.