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Show The Utah Democrat: A Critical and Historical Analysis of the Rise and Fall of the Utah Democrats Angela Jones Democrats, and as the years passed Democrats continued to gain power, reaching a political peak in 1936 (Dean 1983). During this phenomenal year Democrats held all of Utah's congressional seats, the governorship, all of the statehouse offices, all seats in the Senate except one, and all but four seats in the House of Representatives (Dean 1983). In fact, it could be said that the Democrats at this time held a super-majority. Also during the 1930s, events taking place on a national level were lending power to Utah Democrats. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had just completed his first term. His New Deal program was successfully leading the United States from the hardships of the Great Depression (Tanner 1996). Even so, LDS church leaders were opposed to FDR's New Deal programs, presumably because the plan entailed a more involved and centralized federal government. In the 1936 elections the Church formally endorsed FDR's Republican opponent, Alfred Landon (Dean 1983). Poll results showed that Utah residents disagreed with the endorsement of the Church and FDR swept the state with over sixty-nine percent of the vote (Dean 1983). The LDS church made a public error in choosing not to endorse a popular incumbent and well-liked President. Roosevelt's strong commitment to the Democrats and his successful Presidency fueled nationwide support for the Democratic Party. These events helped propel Utah Democrats to strong dominance over Republicans from 1936 to the early 1950s. Beginning in the 1950s, partisan balance began to reshape Utah politics, with the Republicans gaining more support (Dean 1983). The Republican Party began to get more organized while the Democrats seemed to take their lead for granted. For the next decade the parties continued to exchange powers, bringing back a more moderate and balanced system. Brigham Young University scholar Stewart Grow solicited his opinion on the political climate of this era: The strength of the two parties in Utah is now so evenly balanced that elections are usually won or lost on the attractiveness of candidates, the efficiency of the campaign organization and techniques, and the influence of national trends and state conditions (Grow 1963). Even still, there may have been signs that the political demographic in Utah was changing as early as the election of 1950. A vicious Senatorial race between incumbent Democrat Elbert Thomas and Republican newcomer Wallace Bennett could be viewed as the beginning the transformation. During the campaign Republicans actively targeted Thomas by attempting to expose his political weaknesses, specifically his congressional record and his elderly age (Jonas 1951). Many of his opponents felt he had not done enough for the citizens of Utah and that it was time for him to move on (Jonas 1951). A third, and more damning attack, alleged that Thomas was associated with Communists (Jonas 1951). While the allegations were never confirmed, Thomas did a poor job of defending himself and largely avoided the accusations. Adding to this, Bennett was younger and more charismatic, well-connected, and had no political record that could be used against him. Thomas was a well-known politician, running for a fourth term. He had a large support base of laborers, teachers, and agriculturalists. However, he lacked support from rural counties, specifically with members of the Utah Farm Bureau, whose leadership had publicly opposed him (Jonas 1951). The business community largely supported Bennett, a popular businessman. Bennett was also supported by higher-ups in the LDS Church, while Thomas, during his incumbency, had failed to surround himself with influential citizens of the community (Jonas 1951). Shortly before the election, the Salt Lake County LDS Law Observance and Enforcement Committee-a church-organized committee formed with the purpose of limiting gambling, prostitution, horse racing, and alcohol consumption and sales-released an endorsement piece (Jonas 1951 )• The committee opposed seventeen Democratic candidates, while only opposing two Republican candidates. Senator Thomas was one of the seventeen Democrats. The committee's judgments were supposed to have been based on a candidate questionnaire. However, some Democratic candidates claimed to have never received the questionnaire (Jonas 1951). Originally the results were sent to only forty church leaders, but copies were made and the letter became widely circulated, even reaching beyond the borders of Salt Lake County (Jonas 1951). The advantage given to Republican candidates appeared obvious. Political scientist, Frank Jonas, offered his sentiments on the dispartity: The action of the Law Observance and Enforcement Committee was only an overt expression of a preference which was entertained by the Church generally. The General Authorities of the Church are in the main Republicans; the few exceptions are nominal Democrats whose thinking and utterances have never differed from those of the more highly placed Republicans (Jonas 1951). Democratic leaders at the time fought to have the church retract the endorsement (Jonas 1951). They were eventually successful in this, but the damage was already done. Senator Thomas was ousted from his position and Bennett won the race with a respectable 54-2 percent of the vote (Jonas 1951). Many factors contributed to the loss for Thomas, but the last minute endorsement of the LDS Law Observance and Enforcement Committee could be viewed as the final blow. National Influence on Local Politics The events of the 1950 race may have been a forewarning of what trouble lay ahead for the Utah Democratic Party. In 1964, Democrat Calvin Rampton was elected governor. He was the only Governor in the history of Utah to ever complete three terms (McCormick 2004). History describes his time in office as one of economic prosperity, growth, and balance for the state of Utah (McCormick 2004). During his first 52 |
