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Today's Washington Post article describes the three-way Republican primary today as the crowning of Jason Chaffetz's successor. They state that the Democratic Party has shown no love to this race because it is in a deeply red (by 25%) Utah district. The second statement is true, but the crowning is a bit premature.
Utah is an interesting place. The 3rd District is predominantly LDS. When I reach out to LDS voters, I find so much common ground. Like me, they want ethics restored to government. Like me, they value the truth and the advances to civilization that science has provided. Like me, they want public education to remain strong, not diluted by vouchers.
Here in Utah, we are not xenophobes. I routinely see Mormon women rallying to the side of Muslim women threatened by Trump’s inhumane immigration enforcement policies. The history of Mormonism is one of persecution, and they are offended by talk of the wall and even more so by efforts to breakup families by deporting innocent people.
The 3rd Congressional District of Utah also contains three universities. Our state went heavily for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary last year. Lines of millennials waiting to vote for Bernie stretched around blocks. These voters are eager to make their voices heard in the age of Trump. They grew up with multiculturalism and tolerance, and they do not want to see the country revert to racism and white supremacist ideology.
Then there is the addition of the new United Utah political party. After a court battle, a judge ruled against the Republican Lieutenant Governor’s office and ordered that United Utah’s candidate, Jim Bennett, be put on the general election ballot. Even though the United Utah Party purports to be moderate, they retain enough DNA from the Republican Party to split the Republican vote. Jim Bennett is the son of the late Senator Bob Bennett, a widely revered moderate Republican who was bounced from re-election in the 2011 Republican primary in favor of tea partyer Mike Lee. The wounds from this intraparty battle have not healed, and more moderate Republicans could very well vote for Jim Bennett, leaving only hardline Republicans voting for the GOP candidate.
This is a race that Democrats can win. We need you, the readers of Daily Kos, to do what the DNC and DCCC is not doing—help us.
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UT CD3 SPECIAL ELECTION TO REPLACE JASON CHAFFETZ NOVEMBER 7, 2017