Dax Arriola took a photo of his son, Adam, 6, with Romney. "Adam, that's the next president of the United States right there, buddy. And Gov. Romney, too," Arriola said. Later, his wife, Amy, thrust their baby, Abby, into Romney's arms for another shot for the family album.

Arriola said it's important to him that Romney is a fellow member of the LDS Church because they share the same family values. "It's not 100 percent, but obviously everybody in America wants to feel like they can connect with somebody," he said. "That's one connection that I have, just my religion, and that's it."

A number of people in the crowd were from California, another area of the county with a considerable LDS population and vital for Romney to mobilize if he's to gain another gold in the California's primary on Feb. 5 — the same day more than 20 states, including Utah, vote in primary elections or caucuses.

Mark and Amy Edwards of Mill Creek in northern California drove down to volunteer for Romney. The couple, who are LDS, said they were thinking of their own children when they decided to help.

Mark Edwards, a West Jordan prosecutor, said, "We were talking about how do we tell our kids someday that they can do anything when someone ran for president and had a chance who was a Mormon and was precluded from doing that just because he was a Mormon. I can't stand idly by when I actually believe in his message and do nothing."

Former Salt Lake resident Dee Louise Whitney, who now lives in Las Vegas, planned to vote for Romney in her caucus at the high school. Whitney, who said she was looking for work, said she remembered how Romney turned around the troubled 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. "I was very impressed," said Whitney, who sported a 2002 Olympic beret, which was the fashion rage of the Games.

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