JD Vance, Burgess Owens and Trent Staggs make appeal to Latter-day Saint voters

PHOENIX — On Wednesday afternoon, vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance visited a Mesa church and sat down for a town hall, hosted by the Conservative Political Action Conference.

The CPAC event, attended by more than 500 people, largely focused on reaching Latino voters and featured Hispanic business owners. But it was hard to ignore Utah’s contingent of politicians, including Rep. Burgess Owens and Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, who joined Arizona’s Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. They are all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a demographic the Trump campaign is actively courting in the Grand Canyon State.

While Utah’s elected officials at the Phoenix event made the case for Latter-day Saints to vote for former President Donald Trump, throughout his town hall Vance catered his message to the priorities of Latino voters. Vance’s visit to Arizona coincided with the first day of early voting in the state.

Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake used the Wednesday event as an opportunity to make a quick pitch to voters while bashing her Democratic opponent Ruben Gallego, a five-term member of the House, ahead of their debate later that day.

Rep. Burgess Owens, Mayor Trent Staggs’ trip to Arizona

Staggs, in an interview with the Deseret News before the town hall, noted that in a battleground state like Arizona, Latter-day Saint voters, who make up roughly 5% to 7% of the population, matter a lot. But he said he was concerned about Latter-day Saint voters who might sit on the sidelines in the upcoming presidential election.

“It’s a very, very important election, and people need to be engaged, particularly members of our faith,” Staggs said at the Redeemer Apostolic Church. “That could really be the difference maker ... in Arizona and Nevada.”

Staggs received Trump’s endorsement in his Utah Senate run. He came in second in Utah’s GOP primary, behind Rep. John Curtis.

Owens also spoke to the Deseret News before the event officially began, opening up about why he was in Arizona, where “there’s a lot on the line.”

Owens, who represents Utah’s 4th District, said he believes Trump will protect people of faith, as well as family and free markets . Supporters of Trump are a diverse group of people, Owens said. “We have Elon Musk. You have Robert Kennedy. This is really what America is all about.”

Speaking to the crowd later on, Owens said, “We’re going to look back on 2024 and realize that each and every one of us played a big part in saving this nation.”

Vance focuses on border security and economy

After a string of other speakers, Vance finally took the stage. He began his town hall by expressing thoughts and prayers for those impacted by Hurricane Milton, the second large storm to hit the southern U.S. in recent weeks.

The vice presidential candidate wasn’t wearing his typical suit, and he attributed it to a rally he held in Tucson earlier that day. His wife, Usha Vance, was also in attendance.

Vance made the case for why Hispanic women should support the Trump-Vance ticket, adding they are critical for a Trump-Vance victory. His talking points included strengthening the economy to help families, and securing the southern border from deadly drugs and overwhelming migrant crossings.

Vance, while highlighting his middle-class upbringing, said hollowing out “the manufacturing economy, whether it’s in Arizona or Ohio,” rips out a local community’s source of livelihood.

He defended the Trump campaign’s plan to impose tariffs on Chinese products to protect American businesses. Vance accused the Biden-Harris administration of allowing more than 325,000 migrant children to go missing and attacked her promise to pursue anti- price gouging policies .

“I think a lot of Latinos are saying, our family came here to get away from this stuff,” the vice presidential candidate said.

“She says, ‘On day one, we’re going to tackle the affordability crisis,’ or ‘On day one, we’re going to tackle the national security problems,’” Vance said. “Come, on day one was 1,400 days ago. What have you been doing?”

He also criticized Harris’ inability to distinguish herself from President Joe Biden in her latest appearance on “The View.” Harris, while responding to a question about how she would govern differently than Biden, said, “Not a thing comes to mind.”

In his final pitch, Vance laid it out simply: “I think Latinos and Hispanics are people of common sense. Their only home is in the Republican Party of Donald J. Trump.”

On Sunday, Trump will hold a rally in Prescott, Arizona. His campaign will also host a live video event — the “Latter-day Saints for Trump Virtual Fireside.” This Zoom call will feature several Latter-day Saint politicians, including Owens, Lamb, conservative commentator Glenn Beck, Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, among others.

The “Latter-day Saints for Trump” coalition launched Tuesday. Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has similar coalitions in Arizona and Nevada , as the Deseret News previously reported .

Neither the event on Sunday, nor the coalition are affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which recently reiterated its long-standing position of political neutrality .