(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY EVAN BUSH

It’s back -- what some in the media are calling “the Mormon issue” is becoming a campaign topic once again. This after an evangelical Texas pastor introducing Rick Perry at a speaking event called Mormonism a “cult.”

MSNBC has the quote. Here’s Baptist pastor Robert Jeffress:

“Rick Perry is a Christian. He’s an evangelical Christian. A follower of Jesus Christ. Mitt Romney is a good, moral person, but he’s not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. It’s always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity.”

The comments stirred up a storm of controversy for Jeffress, Perry, and Romney. But on the Alex Whitt show -- he doubled down on his comments and pushed another issue held dear to evangelical voters.

“I’m not walking back on any comment I made.”

“There are a lot of other reasons to be concerned about Mitt Romney. Not least of which is his inconsistent conservative positions on values like the sanctity of life.”

The Perry camp distanced itself from the pastor’s comments. Fox and Friends has the word from the campaign.

“His spokesman has come out and said, Robert Black said, ‘The governor does not believe Mormonism is a cult. He is not in the business of judging people. That’s God’s job.’”

Romney didn’t address the comments directly -- choosing to avoid a long discussion on his faith. Here’s CNN.

“Poisonous language doesn’t advance our cause..."
"...the blessings of faith carry the responsibility of civil and respectful debate.”

Still, despite the Perry and Romney camps’ damage control, a CNN reporter says this could hurt both candidates. And most importantly for Romney, polls show the issue could gain traction.

“It doesn’t reflect well on Perry. Today in Iowa, he was asked about it and really tried to put himself between himself and this guy. The campaign says they didn’t approve of him speaking, they didn’t vet him. But it’s also not good for Romney.”

“He’s forced to talk about Mormonism. And frankly, 22 percent, close to 22 percent Gallup voters are skeptical of voting for a Mormon.”

Although Romney’s religion might be a problem with evangelical voters, a writer for Politico says they'd still line up behind him during the general election.

“...fortunately for Romney, there’s not another candidate in the race who has become a Mike Huckabee-style focal point for disaffected evangelicals. … Romney may be able to get by on the same claim he’s making to the rest of the Republican coalition: That he’s the right candidate to take on Barack Obama.”

The Associated Press reports other leading candidates, like Michele Bachmann and Hermann Cain, have avoided the topic.