NASHVILLE, Tenn. (October 15, 2012)--A poll of 1,000 Protestant pastors fond that the pastors favor Republican candidate Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama by a more than 3-1 margin, even though Romney is a Mormon and Mr. Obama has attended Protestant churches.

The Southern Baptist Convention's Lifeway Research found that 57 percent of the Protestant pastors surveyed said they'll vote for Romney compared to only 17 percent who plan to vote for Mr. Obama and 22 percent who were undecided.

Among those who don't support Romney, 82 percent said their decision was not because of his Mormon faith.

Lifeway Research Director Scott McConnell says a 2010 poll found that 75 percent of Protestant pastors don't consider Mormons to be Christians.

He said that's a further indication that most plan to vote for someone who shares their policy preferences rather than their faith.