Mormon Faith Bedevils Romney Bid

Father was 'born on a polygamy commune in Mexico,' Schweitzer says

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney's family history could count big time against him this fall, according to Montana's Democratic governor. The candidate could be hurt politically "because his father was born on a polygamy commune in Mexico," Brian Schweitzer tells the Daily Beast . Women are "not great fans of polygamy, 86% were not great fans of polygamy," Schweitzer says, adding: "I am not alleging by any stretch that Romney is a polygamist." More»

Conservatives prepare 'manufactured umbrage': Alex Pareene

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney is set to be the first Mormon to become a major presidential nominee—so it's inevitable that we'll be hearing a lot about his religion. And as conservatives coalesce around his candidacy, they'll want to make his Mormonism off-limits for attacks. That means that soon, "everyone who has ever made a 'magic underwear' joke will be declared an intolerant liberal bigot," writes Alex Pareene at Salon . So steel yourself: The general election will be filled with "a lot of manufactured umbrage over nothing, because that is what modern campaigns are largely built on." More»

But leaves out crucial detail that could upset evangelicals

(NEWSER) - In an effort to win over Florida's wealth of Hispanic voters, Mitt Romney trotted out a little-mentioned piece of family history more than once this week. "My dad was born in Mexico," he often said, expressing sympathy for immigrants. "I wish I could claim that I'm Hispanic, and that would help me in the Latino community," he told Fox News yesterday. But he's not—his parents were born to Americans living in Mexico—but Romney said he was "very proud" of his father's story. More»

Drew Barrymore, converting to Judaism, is the latest

(NEWSER) - Drew Barrymore is getting married , but first she's—reportedly—converting to Judaism, the religion fiance Will Kopelman practices. She follows the tradition of these seven other celebrity spouses (or not-quite-spouses) who did the same thing, notes The Frisky :

• Isla Fisher: Converted to Judaism for Sacha Baron Cohen.
• Jesus Luz: Started following Kabbalah for Madonna.

Some 40,000 live in polygamous families in Utah

(NEWSER) - As many as 40,000 people live in polygamous families in Utah and parents are stepping up efforts to make plural marriages legal, reports the BBC. The lobbying organization Principle Voices is pressing for state law changes. Authorities rarely crack down on polygamous families unless they're linked to child brides or sex assaults because there are too many to prosecute, according to officials. The lifestyle has recently been popularized in the HBO series Big Love. More»