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Daily Herald, May 3, 2009
Caleb Warnock  To be about the business of winning was the vow of Utah County Democrats at their county convention on Saturday.
Democrats made significant fundraising gains in Utah Valley in 2008 and garnered thousands of new votes compared to other years, but they failed to actually win a single seat. Building on those gains was the theme on Saturday.
"We have to celebrate our gains," said state party chair Wayne Holland. "We have made two consecutive gains in two election cycles."
Utah County Democrats raised $80,000 in 2008, compared to $7,000 in 2006, said Richard Davis, county party chair.
"The Republicans, however, raised $150,000," he said. "We were outspent two-to-one. We have a lot of ground to cover."
In 2006, there were fewer than 100 donors to the party. In 2008, that number jumped to more than 1,300, he said.
Now, local Dems must build on the momentum by recruiting and training candidates, raising money and volunteering to help candidates, Davis said.
"Please volunteer," he said. "We really need your help."
Keynote speaker Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, said hard work would be the key if local Democrats are to begin to tip the balance of power.
"You have to show some independence," Matheson said. "Voters want us to be honest and straight-forward with them."
Republicans "are far too extreme," he said. They voted against regulating tobacco and against tax cuts and job creation, "even as people in Utah are losing their jobs, homes and retirement savings. ... They are so out of touch they opposed raising the federal minimum wage. ... As Utah County Democrats, we have to hold people accountable and operate in an open and honest way."
Republicans are more interested in sound bites on talk radio than working on bipartisan solutions, he said. Meanwhile, the public is fearful and angry because of the tanking economy.
"We cannot meet these challenges with simplistic answers or by listening to one party or one point of view," Matheson said.
Having made gains, local Dems now must work to win, he said.
"I'm all about winning," he said, promising to work to help local Dems gain seats in the next election.
Over and over on Saturday, Democrats also paid tribute to the late Congressman Bill Orton, recalling his successes and his influence on Utah Democrats. Davis said Orton was elected because he went to the people, worked with them, ate with them, listened to them and talked about the local issues that troubled them.
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