Maybe you are on to something with the Mormon thing. I view them as a cult (albeit a pretty benign one), but I still voted for him. Maybe a lot of people stayed home because of it.
Yes I have to admit I feel the same way, and I still voted for him, but I definitely can see it costing votes, though I thought it would be more in the South...however, it might have hurt a LOT in the panhandle and in Ohio and Virginia.