That appears to be a fairly safe bet in a county where only 1.6 percent of registered voters are Democrats.

And a reason the Democrats turned to the Web.

"I want to encourage people to come to the site and take a look at what we're doing," Davis said. "We want people to know we're a presence. We want people to know we're here and we share their values on the issues most important to them."

The Democrats also have created a new club for donors, the Bill Orton Circle, named for the Democrat who represented Utah County in Congress from 1991-97. Club membership, which now stands at 12, is based on donations of $1,200 or more per year to the party.

"It's designed to honor Bill Orton, who was a model for us of a Democrat who successfully appealed to Utah County voters and showed them he was a good legislator," Davis said.

He also was heartened by the visit last week to Brigham Young University by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Davis hailed Reid's speech at BYU and said Reid's 25 years in Congress as a pro-life Democrat and active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is "a great model" for Utah County residents.

"There is a perception that to be a Democrat you have to be in favor of Roe v. Wade," Davis said.

The Utah County Democratic Party's platform mirrors that of the LDS Church, declaring "abortion should be limited to instances of pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, or in cases of fatal fetal deformities," or that threaten the life or health of the mother.

"The state platform says nothing about support for Roe v. Wade or abortion on demand," Davis said. "The point is there are many, many Democrats, and I think they are coming forward, people like me and others, saying we are Democrats for many reasons but we disagree with other Democrats on abortion and that doesn't mean we can't be in the same party.

"The leader in the Republican presidential race, Rudy Giuliani, is pro-choice on abortion. It seems odd Republicans would say they are going to vote for Rudy Giuliani but not for a Democrat who is pro-life on abortion."

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E-mail: twalch@desnews.com