I am not going to pretend to understand Utah, Mormons, or the Church of Latter Day Saints, but I got an inkling from looking at the presidential campaign of former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman that business comes before ideology with a lot of folks in the Beehive State. Yeah, Mormons are certainly socially conservative, but they have a practical streak, and they care a lot about the bottom line.
So, I am not surprised that many people in Utah are upset with Senator Mike Lee for his allegiance with Ted Cruz and his support for a government shutdown that shuttered Utah’s spectacular national parks.
To hear grievances with Lee’s no-compromise, no-apology governing style, just head to the executive floor of Zions Bank, founded by Mormon settler Brigham Young. Bank President A. Scott Anderson, who raised money for Lee three years ago, sat in his corner office this week harboring second thoughts.
“I think people admire him for sticking to his guns and principles, but I think there are growing frustrations,” Anderson said. “If things are to happen, you can’t just stick to your principles. You have to make things work. . . . You’ve got to be practical.”
Spencer Zwick, a Utah native and national finance chairman for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, was more direct, calling Lee a “show horse” who “just wants to be a spectacle.”
“Business leaders that I talk to, many of whom supported him, would never support his reelection and in fact will work against him, myself included,” Zwick said.
Mike Lee was able to oust long-time incumbent Bob Bennett largely because the Republican nominee in Utah is determined at a lightly-attended state convention rather than in a primary where all Republicans are able to vote. It appears that there are enough people angry with Mike Lee’s performance in office that the party may change the way candidates are nominated to make it harder for mental cases to carry the day.
Establishment figures in Utah have long loathed the convention system and are launching a well-funded effort to change it. A bipartisan group including former governor Michael O. Leavitt (R), a George W. Bush Cabinet official and close Romney adviser, has launched Count My Vote, a ballot initiative to overhaul Utah’s nominating process. The group has raised more than $500,000, most from major GOP donors.
A shift to an open primary could hurt Lee, who supports the convention system because his most passionate supporters are the conservative activists who become delegates.
It appears that Mike Lee is too conservative for Utah, which is really saying something.