Holland new Utah Dem chair
The Utah Democrats elected a new chairman over the weekend, Wayne Holland Jr., a labor leader and John Kerry's former Rocky Mountain regional organizor. Now, if being John Kerry's regional organizor in the Rocky Mountain West isn't a double edged sword, I don't know what is. Democrats did great out here last year, but Kerry did not so well.
Either way, Holland seems like an Ok guy:
Wayne Holland Jr., who heads Utah's local United Steelworkers of America, was hand-picked by Utah's lone Democratic congressman, Jim Matheson, to be state party chairman. Nearly all other Democratic officeholders - few that they are - also backed Holland.The self-proclaimed moderate Democrat narrowly bested a much more liberal candidate in the final round of voting during the Democrats' state convention at the Salt Palace in
Holland pledged to an exhibit hall filled with an estimated 1,500 people that he would bring new voters to the party.
"The optimistic winds of change are blowing throughout the West," Holland said, noting several Democratic victories in the Rocky Mountain states. "It's time to bring those victories home to Utah.
"I am ready to battle with our opponents today."
Go here, here and here to read Leo Brown's rundowns on the Utah convention and the Utah Democratic party in general. Good stuff, especially this part:
Understanding the LDS and making a serious appeal to them based on their values will help a lot, too. Think: independence, honesty, responsibility, education, and a sense of community and fair play. If Romney gets the GOP nomination, there is no way Utah votes Democratic. But what if the religious right savages Romney and Harry Reid or someone like him (think: Jim Matheson or Tom Udall) was on the Democratic ticket? This would open up a lot of possibilities. Thinking out of the box can help win elections. A leftist Utah is a fantasy, but a moderate Utah is doable. To the extent that the Democratic Party defines itself as or let's itself be defined as the party of abortion and gay marriage, it will be futile to try to carry Utah and the Mormon vote. Once you get beyond those issues, then the prospects for carrying Utah and the LDS in general are much better.
Emmett O'Connell | May 9, 2005 | Comment on This Post (1 so far) |
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Comments
I was there!
My convention writeup (somewhat long) is at http://www.57wild.com
I would like to dispute the Tribune's contention that Wayne is much less liberal than Jan. Wayne is no DINO and he is not shy about his convictions.
I'd also like to dispute the contention that Jan (the close competitor in the race) is much more liberal than Wayne. Jan did a lot of work reaching out to Republicans in her deeply red state house district last year and connects well with moderate Utah values.
It's not utterly impossible that Jan is to the right of Wayne as often as not.
But that's simply not what a party leadership race is about.
Also, I disagreed with the fellow that described me as "more liberal" in a newspaper article last year, also. Apparently I havent gotten completely over it.
Posted by: Brian Watkins | May 9, 2005 11:29:55 AM
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(and yes, we know that sometimes they're very, very wrong. Other times, they're right on.)
