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WEST JORDAN — Rousing cheers and rounds of applause filled the gaps of Mia Love's speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., Tuesday night.
Her headquarters in West Jordan was filled with also filled with supporters, anxious for what they hope will be a boost to her already strengthening campaign against Jim Matheson — her stalwart opponent in the newly created 4th Congressional District.
"It just adds to the momentum that's been growing over the past several weeks, and a crucial time of course," said Mike Squires.
And for those who don't know about Mia Love, her supporters say having the small town Utah mayor on politics' biggest stage is nothing short of political gold.
"Having her on a large stage will have an impact, will influence voters, perhaps change some of their perspectives and attitudes about her," said Paul Holton. "I still believe there are a lot of people that don't know what she's all about and what she stands for."
But some say Love's candidacy is short-sighted and her stance on major budget issues is concerning given her lack of political experience.
Josh Kanter with the Alliance for a Better Utah says Love's policy on student loans, for example, is simply unreasonable.
"She's proposed eliminating student loan programs in their entirety, which is a position at odds with the Romney campaign," Kanter said. "And that's a position that would impact 204,000 ... students in Utah alone."
After her moment in the spotlight Tuesday, Kanter says we'll start to see Matheson supporters begin to take aim at the issues in the race.
