Mitt Romney would be the nation's first Mormon president, if elected, but press has sometimes been confused about the history of Mormons in presidential politics. The Washington Monthly must have (partially) corrected its story after the fact, since it states that Romney is "the first Mormon to run for president," but also mentions past candidate Oren Hatch. The World History Blog has a post trying to set the record straight. Joseph Smith, in 1844, was the first. (Maybe the Washington Monthly meant Romney is the first "articulate and bright and clean" Morman candidate?)
