A lonely place for Demos

They also may get crushed on Election Day, which makes life hard on Todd Taylor, who has been recruiting candidates for more than a decade as executive director of the state Democratic Party. He said election results in Utah County generally wind up 80 percent Republican to 20 percent Democrat.

"Over the past few elections, the best performance of any Democrat is 33 or 34 percent," he added. "There's a lot to be said for the courage of those few who will step up."

In 2004, David Bonner earned 31 percent of the vote in House District 56 against incumbent Republican David Cox. Cox lost his seat this summer during the Republican primary.

So, who is the last Democrat to win an election in Utah County? The answer is Tim Moran, a dozen years ago, in 1994.

And by how much did he win? By an edge-of-your-seats 30 votes, of course.

Now 88, Moran still lives in Spanish Fork. He served six terms in House District 66 and chose not to seek re-election in 1996. Moran and Utah County's only other elected Democrat at the time, state Sen. Eldon Money, left office together at the start of 1997.

Money lost his 1996 re-election bid by 155 votes, less than 1 percent. That same year, three-term U.S. Rep. Bill Orton, D-Provo, lost to Republican Chris Cannon.

Moran, Money and Orton are all members of the LDS Church, too. Moran said Money is scheduled to return later this month from a mission at the church's historical site in Kirtland, Ohio.

Since that trio lost, no Democrat has come close to winning in Utah County.

Oh, 2nd District Rep. Jim Matheson does represent a chunk of northeastern Utah County, but he gets clobbered in those precincts. In 2002, John Swallow drubbed Matheson there, 70 percent to 29. Matheson did much better in 2004, getting 36 percent, or 10,180 votes.

There's also Utah Senate minority leader Mike Dmitrich. Dmitrich lives outside the county, in Price, and when he was first elected, his district didn't include any part of Utah County. In 2001, redistricting added part of Spanish Fork and all of Mapleton to his district.

Dmitrich gets pummeled there, too, though he concentrated on other areas to defeat a Republican challenge for his seat in 2004. In the Utah County portion of the race, the Republican won, 76 percent to 21. Dmitrich got 2,162 votes in the area.

As the last Democrat to win in Utah County, Moran said he was a victim of changing demographics.

"The ultraconservatives moved into the area, and they took over," he said. "Two years before that I ran unopposed."

He advises Democrats to be patient.

"These things go in cycles," Moran said. "I can remember when the Democrats had it for years and years and years. Republicans will enjoy it until it plays out. I think it's a cycle. It'll change."