Republicans' Hold On Mormon Voters Slips With Donald Trump As Nominee

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A new survey shows the Republican hold on Mormon voters has slipped significantly with Donald Trump as the party's presidential nominee.

The Pew Research Center survey released Tuesday found that 48 percent of Mormon registered voters now describe themselves as Republican - down from 61 percent four years ago when Mitt Romney, a Mormon himself, was the party's presidential nominee.

The survey shows that most of the former Republicans now consider themselves independent.

It also indicates that 13 percent of Mormons surveyed are Democrats - down slightly from 14 percent four years ago.

A similar shift has occurred among the top 15 leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Public records show that six are now registered Republican while nine are unaffiliated with any party.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.