Salt Lake Tribune, April 16, 2010
Donald W. Meyers

Richard Davis is hoping 2010 will be a good year for Democrats in Republican-dominated Utah County.

Davis, the Utah County Democratic Party Chairman, said the party is fielding a strong slate this year, including two former mayors, a former state Board of Education member and a former Republican legislator.

"With these candidates, there is an image change going on," Davis said. "Two years ago [socially and fiscally conservative Democrats] might have been an aberration, but maybe this isn't a flash in the pan, but something more substantial."

And, he said the Republican-dominated Legislature's fixation on message bills won't hurt the Democrats at all.

But Taylor Oldroyd, Utah County Republican Chairman, is confident the GOP will prevail, thanks in part to discontent with President Barack Obama's agenda.

"With what is happening in Washington, this is a tough year for Democrats," Oldroyd said.

Unlike the Republican Party convention, scheduled for April 24, the Democratic Convention lacks the drama of contested seats. But Davis said what is impressive is the quality of the candidates.

They include former state Rep. David Hogue, who is challenging Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper; former state Board member Linnea Barney, who is running against Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem; and Ted Barratt and Layne Henderson, former mayors of American Fork and Salem respectively, who are running for Utah County Commission.

While none of the party's candidates were elected in 2008, Davis said the strategy of showing Democrats shared Utah County's conservative values paid off in that three candidates garnered more than 40 percent of the votes in their races.

Oldroyd maintains none of the Republicans are threatened. He said the Democrats' best showing last time was against Rep. Mike Morley, R-Spanish Fork. This year, Morley is not facing a Democratic challenger. "They might be able to get a candidate into the 40-percent threshold," Oldroyd said.

While winning seats would be nice, Davis said the important thing for Democrats is to make gains at the polls.

This year, he said the "message" bills the Legislature passed, along with the Republican-led campaign against an ethics initiative, may help Democrats make more inroads.

"Once again, they didn't get it," Davis said of the message bills. "They didn't get what the real issues were." While the Legislature was fixated on not raising taxes and asserting state's rights, Davis said they ignored residents struggling to cope with an unprecedented recession.

Then there is Utahns for Ethical Governments' ethics initiative. The Utah County GOP requires candidates to declare their non-support.

In contrast, Davis said he has not asked any Democratic candidates where they stand. But Barney and other Democrats say they want government to be ethical.

"The anti-ethics position is so contrary to what most Utahns want," Davis said.

But Oldroyd said the party opposes the initiative because, he claims, it is flawed.

"Just because we're opposed to it doesn't mean we're opposed to good, ethical government," Oldroyd said.

He accused Democrats of trying to capitalize on the ethical shortcomings of Republicans in the past year.

In January, then-Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack was charged with drunken driving. At the close of the session, then-House Majority Leader Kevin Garn admitted to getting in a hot tub naked 25 years ago with a then-15-year-old girl, and later paying her $150,000 to keep quiet about it.