Hillary Clinton to make brief stop in Utah


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SALT LAKE CITY — Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton will make a brief stop in Utah midday Wednesday to raise money at a private event being held in a Park City home.

"People love to come to the Park City 'ATM' and have a fundraiser and leave," Utah Democratic Party Executive Director Lauren Littlefield said. "We joke about it, but's really just great to have them come to the state."

For Democrats in the predominantly Republican state, even a quick visit by a presidential candidate can boost party involvement, Littlefield said, "firing up the base and getting Democrats excited about the election."

Clinton's Utah fundraiser, squeezed in between stops in Colorado and California, comes the day before the much-anticipated first televised debate between the top 10 of the 17 Republican candidates, as ranked in recent polls.

There are far fewer Democratic presidential contenders, but there is new speculation Vice President Joe Biden may get in the race and a self-described democratic socialist, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is attracting large crowds.

"For us, the more the merrier in the presidential race," Littlefield said.

So far, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is the only other Democratic candidate to come to Utah, she said, for a fundraiser earlier this summer.

Utahns will have to pay a minimum of $500 to see the former first lady, senator and secretary of state at the home of Amy and Barry Baker, who have played host to her and former President Bill Clinton during previous visits to Utah.


People love to come to the Park City 'ATM' and have a fundraiser and leave.

–Lauren Littlefield, Utah Democratic Party


The event, which also offers the opportunity to take a photo with Hillary Clinton for $2,700 and earn the designation of campaign "champion," is anticipated to raise about $300,000.

Not much love for the Clintons, professor says

Utahns don't have much love for the Clintons, University of Utah political science professor Tim Chambless said, noting Bill Clinton had a third-place finish in the 1992 presidential race in Utah behind third-party candidate Ross Perot.

Four years later, then-President Bill Clinton angered many Utahns by establishing the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, an announcement made from across the border in Arizona and without notifying state officials.

"I suspect there will be a faction of voters who will simply vote against her" because of their feelings toward the former president, Chambless said. "It's guilt by association."

And, the professor affiliated with the U.'s Hinckley Institute of Politics said, there many be some gender bias at work as well. Chambless said Biden, well-known as a senator and a vice president, would likely do better in a Utah primary.

Sanders captures the imagination of some Utahns

It's Sanders, though, who is capturing the imagination of Utahns who view themselves as left-of-center.

Erin Kennelly, an academic adviser at the U.'s David Eccles School of Business, recently opened her Capitol Hill home to 30 Sanders supporters, most of whom she's never met, so they could watch a live address by the candidate together.

"It was a really diverse group. We had a retired police officer, people from all over," Kennelly said. "It's not scary. We're not these crazy, hippie, liberal, totally-off-the-wall people. We're passionate about our beliefs, just like any Republican would be."

Another Sanders supporter in Utah, Sarah Scott, said she's been surprised at the response he's getting here. Some 1,200 people have responded to her Facebook page, she said, and a new Utah for Bernie website went up last week.

"Since I've started the Bernie Sanders group, I've been amazed at how many people have come out of nowhere," Scott said.

Now, she said, it's tough to say who the bigger draw for Democrats in Utah — Clinton or Sanders.

Crystal Young-Otterstrom, the head of LDS Dems, said she's personally backing Clinton. LDS Dems do not endorse primary candidates.

"I didn't see Hillary Clinton as liberal enough for me in 2008. I have since matured," Young-Otterstrom said. "It's ironic how vilified she is, as is her husband, especially here in Utah."

She said there are plenty of Democrats, including her husband, who support Sanders.

"I think the majority are leaning toward Hillary now, although Bernie certainly has a strong following, a growing following," Young-Otterstrom said. "It makes for not only a more interesting primary season, but for better vetted candidates."

Clinton was the first presidential candidate to have a presence in Utah, bringing Ben Haynes on board as a grass-roots organizer in April as part of a national strategy. Haynes is now working for Clinton in New Hampshire.

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Lisa Riley Roche

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