By Mary Clare Jalonick
Congressional Quarterly

Electoral votes: 5

Delegates: 29

Chairman: Meghan Holbrook

Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn (El Segundo) (310) 726-0100

1996 Election:
Dole – 54%
Clinton – 33%
Perot – 10%

Utah's Democrats have had to grow accustomed to their underdog status in a state known as one of the most conservative - and Republican-leaning - in the country.

Although the Utah delegation to the Democratic National Convention strongly favors the party's presidential choice, Vice President Al Gore, they hold no illusions that he will make a breakthrough in the race for the state's five electoral votes.

President Clinton, with Gore as his running mate, lost to Republican nominee Bob Dole, 54 percent to 33 percent, in 1996. Even that was a step up for Clinton, who in 1992 received just 25 percent of the vote and finished third in Utah, behind President George Bush and independent candidate Ross Perot.

However, Utah Democrats do have reason for optimism that they might break back into the Utah congressional delegation, in which Republicans currently hold all five seats.

Democrat Jim Matheson - son of the late Gov. Scott Matheson - looks to have a shot at winning the 2nd District seat. That seat is now held by Republican Rep. Merrill Cook, who lost a June 27 primary to Internet entrepreneur Derek Smith after a bitterly divisive campaign.

Democrats are delighted this year as they watch state Republicans bicker. While Cook's defeat was personal, resulting from controversies over his personal temperament, the state's Republican Party has grown so large that it is now showing ideological fissures between "movement" conservative activists and "mainstream" conservatives.

One who fits the latter category is Republican Gov. Michael O. Leavitt, who had to endure a primary challenge this year and now faces former Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Orton in the November general election. Orton, who served in the House from 1991 to 1997, is a delegate to the Los Angeles convention.

State Democratic Party Chairman Meghan Holbrook, who is chairing the state's national convention delegation, said there is tremendous interest within the Utah contingent this year. "People are enthusiastic about our ticket both locally and nationally, and are proud that the convention is in the West," she said.

Utah's 29 delegates were elected at the party's May convention. The state party met all of the diversity goals set for it by the national Democratic Party, although Utah isn't very diverse (the state's population is only 1 percent black and 6 percent Hispanic).

Gore has the committed support of all but four of the delegates, who were picked as backers of former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley.

Aside from Holbrook and Orton, key players in the Democratic delegation are state AFL-CIO President Ed Mayne; Donald Dunn, the Democratic challenger to Republican Rep. Christopher B. Cannon in the 3rd Congressional District; and David Jones, minority leader in the state House.

The Democrats also have two young delegates, Kelly Ann Booth, a senior at the University of Utah who ran a serious campaign for election to the delegation, and Russell Kennedy, a former White House intern.

Delegates are likely pleased with the centrist "New Democrat" positioning Gore has taken, since there are few self-described liberal activists in the group.

Holbrook said, though, that Democrats in Utah are often frustrated by the lack of national party attention to the state, since it is written off as too Republican. "We want Gore to be president, but we would like to see him come to the Mountain West a bit more," she said. "Even though the region is Republican, [Gore] could help a lot of people running for office if he came here."

UTAH NOTABLES: State Democratic Party Chairman Meghan Holbrook, the delegation chairman; former U.S. Rep. Bill Orton, this year's Democratic nominee for governor; Utah AFL-CIO President Ed Mayne; Donald Dunn, the Democratic challenger to 3rd District Republican Rep. Christopher B. Cannon; state House Minority Leader David Jones.