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Show Hf4m Monday. November 5. 1984 xv, v. Page 17 Commissioner Re-Ele- ct I THE HKRALD. Provo. Utah. f ra, Republican """ 'Si'"'' Kristin, Mommy's an Astronaut the impressed with the Space Shuttle simulator P ing a recent visit to the space center in Houston. Anna will be the first mother to go into space of astronaut daughter Fisher and Dr. William Fisher, seems Anna aboard the Space Shuttle mission set this week. dur- - Are Mormons Spelling End To Democrat Party In Utah? By PAUL ROLLY LAKE CITY (UPI) -Utah's Church of Jesus Christ of Also in 1972, Ezra Taft Benson, president of the Mormon Church's Council of the Twelve Apostles and next in line to be president of the church, said in a widely publicized interview that he could not see how a person could be a good Mormon and a liberal Democrat at the same time. National issues like abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment and prayer in school also have hurt Utah Democrats because Mormons perceive the national Democratic Party as supporting issues on the opposite side of what the Mormon Church teaches. As a result, during the past 10 years Democrats have lost their majorities in both houses of the Legislature and they have lost a Senate seat and two House seats that they once controlled. This year the polls predict the Republicans will win the governorship as well. If the polls are right, it will mark the first time in 20 years Utah is without a Democratic governor. Republican Norman Bangerter leads Democrat Wayne Owens by about 11 points in the governor's race. Owens attracts strong majorities of Catholics, Protestants and other religions, but 64 percent of the Mormons polled say they ' will vote for Bangerter. Owens, who is a staunch Mormon himself and was a mission president for the church in Canada for three years, has been plagued by the tendency of his church members to vote against him. A young one-tercongressman from Utah's 2nd District in the mid 1970s, Owens battled then-Sa- lt Lake City Mayor Jake Garn for the Senate and lost by about 54 percent to 46 percent. While 70 percent of the voted for Owens in that election, 85 percent of those who consider themselves very active Mormons voted for Garn. "I literally received 500 letters from people telling me they had no idea I was a Mormon after I received my mission call," Owens said. He believes he would have received a greater percentage of SALT Saints population has shifted dramatically to the political right and the trend could Latter-da- y make the state's Democratic Party as extinct as the dinosaur that once roamed the territory. "Just 12 years ago Utah split a third, a third and a third between Republicans, Democrats and Independents," says pollster Dan Jones. "Now about 44 percent identify with the Republican Party, while only 22 percent identify with the Democratic Party and the rest are IndeperJents." More strikingly, Jones' surveys indicate 47 percent of the Mor-jnoin Utah consider themselves Republicans, while only 17 percent consider themselves Democrats. Most of the Mormons who consider themselves Independents have been voting in the Republican column in recent elections. Mormon voting habits are im- observers say, Eortant, 70political percent of the state's population belongs to the church. The Mormon Church is the main influence culturally, socially in the lives of and spiritually its members. Utahns used to have a strong tradition of being "ticket splitters," voting for the candidate rather than the party, and the ; state has had a healthy mix of Republicans and Democrats in public office. But several things happened during the 1970s that began a trend moving Mormons into the Republican ranks. Now the GOP holds every seat in Utah's congressional delegation, better than two-thirof both houses of the Legislature, majorities on most city councils and county commissions and every statewide elected office except governor. "What killed Democrats in , the pollster adds. minimi- tw - X ft had been more membership imam widely known. "There is a perception among that the Republican more closely aligned Party with the beliefs and philosophies of their church than is the Democratic Party," says Democratic State Chairman Patrick Shea. "The leadership of the church does not try to illuminate that image," Shea said, 'in fact, the leadership is very careful to remain neutral in political campaigns. "But that image is often shed by Mormon officials in the lower echelons of the church and the Republicans themselves try to grasp the image by holding their political meetings more like they were church meetings." The Democratic Party in recent years has actively recruited Mormons to run for office to neutralize the religion issue in Utah politics, but that effort has been mostly unsuccessful. "We ran two stake presidents for the Legislature in 1982 and they both lost," said Shea, who also admitted that when Democrats try too hard to display their Mormon ties, it backfires. In fact, that even offends Mormons. University of Utah law professor Ed Firmage blatantly boasted of his Mormon background when he challenged Republican incumbent Congressman Dan Marriott Mormons is of accompiisomeot the two years Gary Anderson served as your County Commissioner the rate of growth of Utah County government has slowed from 8 to In 2. o Through tenacious determination, he lead the fight to open the gates to Jordan River and lower the level of Utah Lake. He is leading the Utah County Commission fight to save Geneva works. He is putting permanent flood control catch basins in all the major canyons. Gary Anderson refused to raise taxes in the face of tremendous pressure by the media and government agencies. He spearheaded the drive to help the senior citizens build their own kitchen for Mobile Meals. in 1980. "He even ran television ads letting people know he was a direct descendent of Brigham Young," said John Clark, another pollster and longtime historical researcher of Utah politics. Most political observers say that type of campaign actually lost Firmage votes and Marriott in a landslide. won Interestingly, Frances Farley, a liberal nearly beat bid in Marriott in his 1982. "Mormons tend to vote for other Mormons, but they don't like those who flaunt it," Clark said. frrftrtTr in I the Mormon vote if his church m Utah was McGovern," says Jones. George McGovern, the . Democratic presidential candidate in 1972, was just too liberal lor Utah Mormons to swallow, "T' 'A J.T. UTTTTTi ' 1 1 He consolidated motor vehicle taxation and licensing into one building. He added to the tax base of Utah County by helping to bring Stou,ffers Foods and Murdock International into the Springville Industrial Park. While many are saying it can't be done, Commissioner Gary Anderson is continuing to find ways to make Thistle a viable flood control unit. As the Council of Governments Chairman, Gary Anderson rejuvenated and brought the council into a cohesive body. Without raising taxes, Gary Anderson acquired a new permanent facility for the Utah County Health Department. I ' LES NEWREH OF OREM LOST 54 .! L wmmumtJ "No one was more conscientious during the flood fight than Gary Anderson. He is very approachable and great to work with." NUTRI SYSTEM WORKS BECAUSE: 1 . lose up to a pound a day safely $ I I v. A I V I r i f-- , V 11. 2. 3. Mistake proof 4. Hunger free 5. Behavior education classes design eating habits 6. Professional supervision - no calorie counting Howard Nielson Delicious gourmet meals mm! .r "Fewer situations are more difficult than work- ing out an agreement with Salt Lake City for dredging the Jordan. Gary has been in the forefront of the battle and will be one of the prime movers in solving the problem." Joe Jenkins I KlRe -Elect Commissioner CONSULTATION! 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