Democrats offer an Idea for Congressman Chaffetz

Salt Lake City, UT— The “Chaffetz is Considering a Campaign for the U.S. Senate” summer tour continued this week in Emery County – the congressional district he lives in but not the one he represents.

Pasty Stoddard of the Emery County Progress, a local weekly newspaper, reported Congressman Chaffetz as saying, “”Just because you are born here, doesn’t make you a United States Citizen . . . I hope to be part of the solution. I need help and support and your ideas.” (see full story at http://www.ecprogress.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=11347)

Utah Democratic Party Chair Jim Dabakis agreed that the congressman needs help saying, “Congressman Chaffetz please read the Constitution – particularly the 14th Amendment. It starts out by saying that all persons born in the United States are citizens.”

Dabakis added, “Since he asked, our idea is that Congressman Chaffetz learn the basic facts about citizenship or, at the very least stop this intentional effort to mislead the public and incite the far right-wing. His statement makes clear that like too many members of Congress, Chaffetz is more interested in getting attention – even to the point of appealing to bigotry — than solving the real problems faced by Utah and our country. We believe that in the end, Chaffetz will learn that Utah wants a Democratic Senator who values common sense solutions not destructive political rhetoric and posturing.”

Utah Democrats announce “The Red Rock Tour on Redistricting – Springville to St. George” – a four day tour covering over 1100 miles through Southern Utah communities.

SALT LAKE CITY, August 15, 2011 - On Monday, August 22, 2011, Utah Democrats will begin a week-

long tour through Southern Utah to discuss the plans for redistricting being presented by the Utah Legislature. The road trip is part of a broader strategy to engage rural and members of the LDS Church in the Democratic Party. Newly elected state party chairman Jim Dabakis will travel over 1100 miles with other members of the Utah Democratic Party to meet with Southern Utah residents, elected officials, political activists, members of the media, and other interested parties to urge the Utah Legislature to give Southern Utah its own Congressional district.

“The 2011 redistricting process may be the most important event of the decade. Current proposals by the Legislature suggest that Southern Utah communities should be combined with Northern Utah interests. This is the wrong approach. Southern Utah has uniquely different needs when it comes to issues such as natural resources, public lands, agriculture, and economic development,” said Dabakis. “Utah Democrats firmly believe that a congressional district should be created specifically for Southern Utah, and represented by a member of congress who is familiar with the characteristics and values of the communities represented,” he said.

Dabakis and others will kickoff the event in Springville and over the course of four days will visit the communities of Price, Castle Dale, Moab, Kanab, Mt. Carmel, Boulder, Torrey, Richfield, Delta, Cedar City, Springdale and St. George. A Grand Finale Breakfast will be held in St. George on Thursday, August 25, 2011, with Minority Whip Senator Karen Morgan as the keynote speaker. All events are open to the public. More information and an upd-to-date schedule may be found by visiting the Red Rock Tour website at http://redrocktour.utahdemocrats.org.

For further details or media requests, please contact The Red Rock Tour Event & Media Coordinator, Emily Bingham Hollingshead, at 435.590.9961 or by email at emily.hollingshead@gmail.com.

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