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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- When Nevada's Democratic Sen. Harry Reid assumes his role as Senate majority leader in January, he'll hold a small, but important political distinction -- he's the highest-ranking Mormon elected to office in U.S. history.
It's a sign that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, long viewed by many as peculiar, is becoming mainstream, observers say.
"It's an important symbol," says John Green, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. "That has always been a mark of religious groups in American society, that in some important sense the group has become part of the mainstream."
Not that Mormons don't already hold key positions in Washington. Former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt is secretary of Health and Human Services. Five senators and roughly a dozen representatives are members of the church, and two federal departments have Mormon chiefs of staff.
But Reid, who grew up in a small Nevada mining town, has gone farther than them all.
When in Washington, D.C., Reid attends services at Mormon ward house one block outside the District of Columbia. He has served the congregation as home teacher, checking on the well-being of other members. And he keeps a copy of the Book of Mormon, his faith's central text, on his office bookshelf.
"He's always looking after other people," says his bishop, Michael Seay, the lay leader of the congregation. "He's very much loved by the members."
And while he doesn't push issues simply because of his faith, friends say Reid's religion and his positions on issues as a senator are inseparable. The father of five boys, Reid is anti-abortion, pro-death penalty. He opposes same-sex marriage and gun control. But he's also known for taking liberal-to-moderate stands on issues such as education.
"His faith clearly affects who he is," says Kai Anderson, Reid's former deputy chief of staff. "It's a big part of what makes him a decent, kind, loving man. But he doesn't legislate it."
Unlike other Mormons in politics, Reid isn't often identified by his faith.
"It's a historical milestone that I'm sure LDS scholars will note," says Sen. Bob Bennett, a Mormon Republican from Utah. "Interestingly, in the Senate no one seems to care."
More important to Democrats are Reid's abilities as a negotiator and his propensity for compromise.
"One thing about him is he is balanced, prudent and very easy to work with," says William Nixon, a Washington lobbyist, former Hill staffer and a local Mormon church elder. "He is the example that the Democratic Party is not going to allow itself to be co-opted by the far left."
The fact that Democrats would elect Reid a their Senate leader speaks volumes about his integrity, Nixon said.
Overall, the Pew Forum's Green says the United States is making progress on religious tolerance. Minnesotan Keith Ellison just became the first Muslim elected to Congress; he'll serve in the U.S. House.
"Not to get too teary-eyed about this, but part of what America has been about is living up to its ideals," Green says. "We started out with idea that all faiths should be treated with respect. Certainly we're not perfect yet, but there's been a better acceptance of other faiths."
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune www.sltrib.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
