Reader comments
Campaign hits Utah, finally

Lane Meyer | 8:19 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

GO RON PAUL

RomneyNextPresident | 8:20 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

Utahns!! Don't speculate that Romney will win. Make sure you get out and vote so that it will send a clear message to the nation that Romney is going to be the next president!!

Daniel | 8:22 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

GO [HOME] RON PAUL.

Comments continue below

About time!!! | 8:38 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

Finally, your Utah vote can actually make a difference. Even though Republicans, as usual, will vote at least 80% for the white, Mormon, male. Your democratic vote might actually make a difference.

You can help keep Hillary out of the White House.
Be sure to vote!

ROADY | 9:23 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

I will be voting for the first time tomorrow. Go Romney

Walter | 9:42 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

I will be working the election tomorow remember if you are a republican you can not vote in the democratic primary. I wish you could you can onlt vote on the republican side.

Save Utah | 10:36 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

YOU have an opportunity to help mankind, instead of corporate America. VOTE DEMOCRAT, ENJOY LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPPINESS.

Kcatch9 | 10:37 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

I will be voting for the first time tomorrow and my vote will go for Obama.

Kim | 10:38 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

Go Romney!! I live in Texas and have been fighting McCain all summer on his amnesty bills. How can he be the man to fight jihadists when he did not fight to secure our borders? Vote Romney!

Mac is Back | 10:39 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

GO MCAIN '08! What a blessing it is to have such a big lead over Romney!!

Concerned Voter | 11:06 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

I would urge the Utah Republican Party members not to simply vote for Romney because he is LDS. Oftentimes, his policies are in direct conflict with LDS teachings, and he has often been caught exaggerating to the point of outright lying. Please, look at the voting history, the comments, and the policies before you cast your vote tomorrow. Romney may be LDS, as am I, but as a member of the Church, I do not and cannot support his politics.

Todd | 11:16 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

Paul Tsongas bought $50,000 of television ads in Utah in 1992 for the first presidential primary hosted by the Utah Democratic Party.

The ads that he ran were not specific to Utah, but were part of a national advertising campaign that he had to combat his perceived health care problems as a cancer survivor. The ad showed him in his Speedo diving into a swimming pool.

Paul Tsongas actually won the primary that year with Jerry Brown coming in second place and Bill Clinton finishing in third spot. Harkin came in last.

Jerry Brown and Hillary Clinton both visited Utah during that campaign. Hillary spent time with the legislators at the State Capitol. Jerry visited twice. One was an airport rally, the other was a rally at the Utah AFL-CIO on Redwood Road. Harkin did not visit, but had a very active group of volunteers primarily centered around the Steelworkers union based in Utah County at Geneva Steel.

Tsongas did not visit Utah during the campaign, but did come later to do a fundraiser for Congressman Wayne Owens in his bid for the US Senate that year against Bob Bennett.

Stenar | 11:56 a.m. Feb. 4, 2008

VOTE FOR HILLARY!

...not some fluff who gives good speeches, but has no substance to back it up.

James | 12:22 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

I have studied political science here and abroad and I do not understand LDS members that say that they cannot vote for Romney. He is not just LDS. He is the most qualified of any candidate. His education and success record are stronger than any other candidate. This is being said by non-Mormon newspapers and publications as well. He is better than over 90% of the Mormons I know. His, supposed,weakness is that he respected democracy and his constituents. Hasn't anyone studied political science. You have to represent your constituents. The man did fight against gay marriage as governor and many people spoke out viciously against Romney and his wife about it. Regarding abortion, he was just trying to go along with LDS teaching, which is that abortion is only OK under certain circumstances. The flip flop thing is ridiculous and if studied, it is invalid. I am a Mormon and,though, I would not vote for a candidate on the sole fact that the candidate is a Mormon, I also will not dismiss or judge a candidate more harshly because he/she is Mormon. Of all the Mormon politicians out there, Romney is the cream of the crop.

Anonymous | 1:07 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

Remember if you aren't a registered republican or democrat you can vote democrat. You won't be asked to register, you will have to register republican if you want to vote republican.
I am a Mormon who will vote for Obama. I do not believe any republican will get us out of the mess that Bush has left behind. We need our country united again. I think Obama has the best shot at doing that. I have to vote my conscience and it says Obama.

Anonymous | 1:55 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

From the SL County website:

The Western Presidential Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, February 5, 2008. This election is a function of the political parties to nominate one candidate per party for the November General Election. Only the two parties (Republican and Democratic) opted to participate in the Utah Presidential Primary. The following rules for conducting the Presidential Primary are established by the National Political Parties, not by the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office.

Voters registered as Democrat can only vote in the Democratic Primary
Voters registered as Republican can only vote in the Republican Primary
Voters registered as unaffiliated may choose either a Republican or Democrat ballot
Unaffiliated voters who choose a Democrat ballot, per their party rules, are not required to affiliate with the Democratic Party
Unaffiliated voters who choose a Republican ballot, per their party rules, are required to affiliate with the Republican Party by completing a Republican Affiliation Form prior to being issued a Republican Ballot

Matt | 2:04 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

James-I've also got a political science degree, and I'm devoutly LDS, and Mitt sickens me. The support of Torture runs contrary to the 13th article of faith, and his public persona as a snake-oil salesman with no real personal convictions won't exactly be a great public face of the church.

Mitt's education record (if we're talking about his resume) certainly isn't the best, considering the former editor of the Harvard Law Review is running. You talk about representing his constituents...and he did a terrible job. If Mitt had run for re-election, he would have been crushed.

If you're a republican, vote for John McCain. If you're a liberal, vote for Hillary or Obama. Forget Mitt.

liberal means seeking truth | 2:08 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

Romney told the world he saw his father marching the streets of Detroit with Martin Luther King.
Upon investigation from the drive-by media, his staff reluctantly admitted this was not true.
And THIS is the man our poor deluded neocons believe to be "the cream of the crop."

PW | 2:20 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

I miss the old Mittens Romney, you know, the one who liked gays and thought abortions were fun! Bring back the old Mittens!

Voting for Obama | 3:15 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

Did any of you see Michelle Obama at the Salt Palace today? She is one classy lady--humble, thoughtful, kind, and BRILLIANT!!! She also comes from such basic beginnings with empathy for everyone.

Michelle Obama is definitely my choice for first lady.
MUCH, MUCH better than Bill.
(Oh and Barack is not bad either.)

SwordMaiden | 3:41 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

Mitt Romney was on his Mission when the March happened. It has been verified that his father was good friends with MLK. There is more than one meaning for "Saw", it also means witnessed, but not necessarily with my own eyes, as in "I saw my mother work her hands to the bone 10 hours a day at work." yet, one may never have actually SEEN with their eyes, their mother at work at all. Mitt was not allowed to watch any TV, listen to radio news, etc. I am sure he could visualize his father marching, none-the-less. The marches were held in several cities at the same time. I wonder if the Illegals that marched believe they Marched with those in other cities? And, by the way, we all know that the same people are posting hate on here, and I bet you are not even from Utah, because you don't understand Utahn's at all.

SwordMaiden | 3:59 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

Please Realize that the Power Mongers are amassed to coerce us into believing the lies and dis-information they are sending out against Mitt Romney, so we will not Vote for him. Do NOT believe their polls - they are meant to dissuade you! It is all spin, and they pick the polls that suit them best. Note that Pollster.com showed Mitt Romney at 13% in Utah! I had to email them, asking why they were giving out false results, CC'ing the Cable News stations, and sending proof from two old polls while telling them there was a new poll coming out Saturday, too. They corrected one 13% - to 65%, but the only other poll they showed was one showing Mitt at 40% - and that is very misleading as the poll was a year ago and included every Candidate of Every Party, so it brought his numbers down! Note also that the last poll in MI before he WON showed him in 3rd, at 17%.
Don't worry about endorsements, no one cares who Huntsman is telling us to support, do they? :-) And we must show them they do not control US!

Leonard Lords | 4:15 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

The California Mormon vote could sneak up and change California and set a new course for the presidential race. California is home to more Mormons than any state other than Utah -- more than 750,000 -- and the Golden State has been Romney's richest source of campaign contributions -- more than $6.5 million. Not one poll has been able to gage this factor that is easily enough votes to make a change.

ImHereIncognito | 4:51 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

RE: Unaffiliated Voters: After the Primary Election you can switch back to Unaffiliated, if you choose to do so.

zzyzx | 9:18 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

Ron Paul is the man.
Freedom is the plan!

Dear Republicans, | 9:45 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

Please at least look at Ron Paul's website before voting. the media has written him off as a "kook" and they often refer to his faithful fans as a "cult." Many of us know how loosely those negative terms are thrown around and how inaccurate they can be. Please take five minutes at ronpaul2008(dot)com.

Kim | 9:54 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

I can see why most men would be jealous of Mitt Romney - brilliant (top of his Harvard class), tall and good looking, awesome family, wonderful problem solver, wealthy, principled, innovative Republican with new ideas, understands money, great debater and speaker, his experiences in life, not beholden to interest groups (he can change Washington), handles himself well under pressure, and is an optomist. Yep, there's lots to be jealous of and we see it in every debate, every newscast. It was hilarious to watch John McCain sitting next to Romney in the last debate - he kept trying to sit up taller and straighten his tie. I don't know what everyone is looking for but I don't think the Republicans have had this talented of a candidate in many years. Everything he touches turns to gold. Utahans should remember how incredible the olympics were to get a taste of Mr. Romney in action. Go Mitt!!!

Carson | 10:05 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

You know, I think Mr. Paul is a fine man and I agree with 90% of what he says but he is a little spooky with regards to foreign policy, trade policies, etc. We don't live on an island and have to work with other nations. I feel like the Libertarians need to send a different messenger. Mr. Paul comes off a little whiney and negative. Find another messenger for your message and you'll be in business.

Suburbs of SLC | 10:20 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

I agree with Carson - I would love to have Congressman Paul sitting in the Oval Office, in a nice comfy chair-not behind the real desk-, throwing out advice and trying to convince the next president to stick to the constitution...I just don't want him to actually have the power to do some of the more extreme things he says.

As to Romney, I doubt 750,000 Mormons would be enough to throw the race in CA. What I actually do like about him is his flip-flopping, if you want to call it that. On the majority of his flops it changed for the better, and it'd be interesting to have a president who actually listened when the people told him he was off course. What I dislike about him is his immigration and foreign policy ideas...too extreme, again...and I think what I dislike outweighs what I like. My vote will probably be thrown to a Democrat.

May West | 10:45 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

I think anyone who voted for George Bush TWICE should be forced to sit this one out. What a horrible presidency we have had to endure for 8 years.

joe utahn | 10:44 p.m. Feb. 4, 2008

I think the Republican party has thrown us all under the bus. They havent listened to us for years. They spend our money like its not theirs. But wait its not theirs its ours. I allow my money to be spent ten times over if there were a chance that it would help us the middle class. But no they spend all of our money helping our industries send our manufacturing plants out of the country. Do you know there is no longer a knitting mill in America to knit socks. Not really much to worry about now but some day when our dollar isnt worth enough to buy some socks from another country we might want to make some of them here. OBAMA might be our ticket to GOOD CHANGE so I am putting my money in his basket.

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