Manning Apologizes to Mormons

State Rep. Judy Manning apologized Thursday for her comments this week about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s Mormon religion.

“I have made a terrible mistake with my reckless words,” the Marietta Republican, whose district runs into Kennesaw and West Cobb, wrote on her Facebook page.

Those “reckless words” appeared in Wednesday’s Marietta Daily Journal in response to .

“I think Mitt Romney is a nice man, but I’m afraid of his Mormon faith. It’s better than a Muslim,” said Manning, a supporter of Newt Gingrich’s.

That comment popped out in a lengthy article about Cobb County lawmakers’ thoughts on the Republican presidential race. It came amid continuing questions over whether Romney’s religion will block his presidential hopes.

Was Rep. Judy Manning wrong to talk about Mitt Romney's religion? Tell us in the comments below.

A national survey conducted by Poll Position in December and reported Tuesday found that 36 percent of Americans said they would not vote for a Mormon.

Romney during an appearance in Charleston, SC, on Thursday, St. Andrews Patch reported.

In her Facebook post, Manning said reporter Jon Gillooly “manipulated my comparison using verbal judo and made my choice for a Republican Presidential candidate appear to be motivated by religion. NOT SO!”

She promised to vote for the Republican nominee against President Barack Obama in November and apologized to Romney and Mormons.

She did not, however, apologize to Muslims.

And her Facebook statement came too late to avoid a flood of online responses:

• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Jay Bookman said Manning brought Georgia national embarrassment.
• Zaid Jilani at Think Progress wrote that Manning’s remarks showed how bigotry against one group (Muslims) can lead to bigotry against another (Mormons).
• MDJ columnist Don McKee looked at new Gallup Poll data on the role of the candidates’ religions in the presidential campaign, in which Protestants are less likely than other Republicans to support Romney but voters don’t seem to differentiate between the Catholics and Protestants.
• On a related point, Ami Eden with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency joked that it’s probably a sign of progress if South Carolina’s Republicans vote for Roman Catholic Rick Santorum because he’s not Mormon.