Could the prospect of a GOP presidential primary with two Mormons in the race challenge the conventional wisdom that Republican success depends on mobilization of the religious right?
Joanna Brooks of Religion Dispatches is intrigued by the possibility that Huntsman vs. Romney could turn that paradigm on it's ear.
Could it be that Huntsman, an unorthodox, globe-trotting Mormon with a Hindu daughter and a motorcycle-riding past, will be able to draw enough of a contrast with the far more rigid and orthodox Romney? Could it be that Huntsman will know how to wear his religion more lightly? Could it be that Mitt took most of the heat for Mormonism in 2008? And could it be that the real trouble with Mitt has been not his Mormonism but his longstanding charisma problem, which has made his Mormonism one of the most intriguing aspects of his candidacy?
Even in South Carolina, political observers like Ben Smith are questioning if there are really enough social conservatives motivated by anti-Mormon animus to make the primary unwinnable for a Mormon.

