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By Devin Castleton
It's not news to anyone that Republicans have maintained a political stronghold in Utah for as long as anyone can remember. Popular opinion in Utah may suggest that Democrats have virtually no pull when it comes to the presidential election and even policy in Utah, simply because there aren't enough of them. Many Utah Democrats would disagree. Democratic party leaders insist that Utah will matter in determining the Democratic presidential nomination. Utah Democratic Chairman Donald Dunn reported to the Salt Lake Tribune that Utah's primary "could carry weight for candidates hoping to stall Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's bandwagon. "Until there is a clear nominee...every vote matters," Dunn said. "Utah is going to matter." But party policies and nominations are not always what politics are necessarily about. "Competition is the essence of democracy," said Michael Lyons, political science professor at Utah State University. "The Democrat vote is not even the point. The very fact that they have a choice is the important thing." The Utah Democratic Party is alive and well, and excited about their political prospects in Utah. According to their Web site, Utah Democrats have their "eyes pointed to the future." The site states that Utah Democrats are entering "an exciting new era ... and will spend this next year continuing to promote the election of Democratic candidates, working with local party organizations, elected officials, candidates and constituencies to respond to the needs and views of the Democratic electorate and the residents of Utah." Despite their apparent optimistic outlook, Utah Democrats have more to battle than simply their party platform. In a conservative state where the Republican party appears to be closely tied to the dominant LDS religion, being a Democrat can often be viewed as deviant. "Empirically, there is a very high correspondence between being LDS and being Republican," said Peter Galderisi, political science professor at USU. "Conservative social Democrats can always be branded with the liberal label because of national Democratic policies." "The Democrat in Utah is seen as a liberal, tree-hugging, abortion-loving, big government-wanting person," said Callie Taggart, a USU student and member of the College Republicans. "My view of a Democrat ... is somebody trying really hard to be different." But are Utah Democrats, or all Democrats for that matter, deserving of the liberal label? According to Galderisi, even National Democrats are not uniform on their views regarding social issues such as abortion, gay marriage, affirmative action, etc. "Republicans are much more so," Galderisi said. "That makes those issues more complicated for Democrats to deal with." Perhaps the biggest obstacle Utah Democrats deal with is avoiding the liberal stereotype. According to the Mormon Conservative Republicans Web site, being liberal is an "affliction" and those who are liberal are "ignorant of their condition." The site also refers to liberals as "unfortunates." "It seems like most all of the students who are openly Democrat are not LDS and typically support issues that conflict with Mormon standpoints," said USU student Christoffer Chugg. "When they speak up, it's almost always about issues like abortion, gay marriage or affirmative action." It appears evident that often times Democrats' basic, general political views and preferences are misunderstood amidst hot-button issues like abortion and gay marriage -- issues that many Democrats disagree with. "Well, aren't Democrats usually in support of these general party principles?" inquired Taggart. "I would expect that most Democrats espouse at least some of these liberal views, at least in Utah." "Way too much emphasis is being placed on highly emotional issues that have little day-to-day effect on most of our lives," said Lyons. "For instance, gay marriage has so much less an impact on people, especially of Utah, than issues such as education, highway construction and the war in Iraq." It almost seems like politics and religion are succinct in Utah, although that is contrary to the church's intent. Even LDS church president, Gordon B. Hinckley expresses otherwise. According to Latter-Day Saints Democrats Online, Hinckley said, "You can be a good church member and a Democrat. I don't see why you couldn't be. We've got lots of Democrats in the church, lots of them, and they are good people. I don't worry about that too much." However, Republicans tend to argue that they are more closely related to God and religion. "I think the Mormon faith ties in extremely well with Republican Party positions," said Taggart. "The Republican Party believes in God." The purpose of politics isn't always necessarily to accomplish and achieve party policies and objectives and it certainly doesn't have to tie into religious convictions. The Democratic Party of Utah is no exception. "Democrats have little influence on policy in Utah," said Lyons. "But they articulate alternative values and perspectives for Utahns. They offer a choice. I don't care what people think about me being Democrat. I am being faithful to my own values." The political climate in Utah is a unique one. As headquarters of one of the most conservative religions in the nation, Utah ties a subtle knot between church and state, intentional or not. Utah presents a political climate in which the dominant party continues to control the vast majority of state policy, and the weaker, perhaps misunderstood one is left to remain optimistic, striving to challenge stereotypes and represent the other half of democracy. "The state is not the issue," said Lyons. "Remaining true to values and offering a choice and an alternative is."
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