From Deseret News archives:
Caucuses pivotal in Utah
"It's just extremely important for us," said Joe Cannon, state GOP chairman, speaking of the neighborhood party caucuses. "Who is elected (Republican state) delegates could decide our next governor."
Or at least who will run against Democratic nominee Scott Matheson Jr.
Cannon and Democratic Party chairman Donald Dunn may disagree on who will be the next governor, but they agree on the importance of Utah's neighborhood caucuses, formerly called mass meetings.
Residents will gather in party meetings beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday to pick delegates to county and state conventions, held in April and May.
This year for the first time in decades the meetings are held on a Tuesday, rather than Monday.
Cannon said President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has asked school and civic organizations to consider not scheduling events on Monday nights so church members can spend time with their families at that time. The hope is that Tuesday will be a more attractive alternative.
"We met with Donald, and to his credit, we decided to switch the night," Cannon said. "We hope it works out. We sent letters to a number of various churches, hoping the leaders would encourage people to attend."
In addition, Cannon and Dunn together cut a public service radio announcement, telling Utahns to go to their caucuses Tuesday.
While Cannon is still "a little worried" about the switch and its effect on turnout, Dunn also hopes for a good turnout.
"There was real excitement shown by the turnout at our (February) presidential primary," Dunn said.
LDS Church leaders, as they have done in recent election years, two weeks ago had a letter read to local congregations asking members to be active in politics this year and attend their Tuesday night caucuses, said Dale Bills, LDS Church spokesman.
For the nine Republicans running for governor this year, and three GOP candidates in the 2nd and 3rd congressional districts, Tuesday night is a chance to stack neighborhood meetings with their supporters and elect one of them to the May 8 GOP state convention where major office candidates will be voted upon.
If 60 percent of the delegates picked Tuesday cast their votes in the state GOP convention for one gubernatorial candidate, he or she wins the nomination outright, avoiding a primary runoff on June 22.
In addition to the governor's race, Tuesday could also affect who will be the Republican nominees for the 2nd and 3rd congressional district races.
